Tis the Business
by Jumping JellyBean
Summary: Tim, Tony, and a young women are all kidnapped by three masked men and vanish without a trace. Rated T for torture  but that's about it . My very first story! Now complete.
1. Chapter 1: Stranger Danger

**A/N: **My first story! Let's hope it turns out right. Tim and Tony are kidnapped along with a young woman named Leah by three masked men, no traces left behind. The team struggles to find out where they could have possibly went while Tim and Tony try to figure out what the kidnappers want.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS, darn it. Any characters you run into that you don't see on the show, however, do belong to me. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1 Stranger Danger**

"I'm telling you McGee, she was eyeing you."

"Whatever Tony."

"I'm not kidding!"

"There's a first."

"Oh come on. She expressed interest! How can you not jump at that?"

"I'm not you"

"Exactly! How many other times will you get an opportunity like that?"

"Shut up Tony. I'm not interested and frankly I don't think she was as interested as you think."

Tony glanced at the swinging kitchen doors. "You are such a block head. McStone, McRock, McBoulder."

"Glad to see you are using some of those inactive creative juices."

Tony scoffed. "I'm just saying you could possibly have a girl for Christmas…"

"And I'm just saying, drop it." Tim turned to the counter "Let's just get our food and go. I have a lot to do before I leave."

"I still can't believe you aren't doing anything for Christmas."

"I'm taking off work at the beginning of December Tony. You call that nothing?"

"No skiing, no parties, no nothin'." Tim just rolled his eyes.

"Here are your orders sirs." A waitress (not the one 'eyeing' Tim) placed three large bags on the counter.

"Thank you very much" said Tim. As the two went through the paying process Tony leaned on the counter and flashed the waitress a smile. She looked pretty, and young to boot. Why not?

"So…" Tony glanced at her nametag. "Leah, been working here long?"

Leah glanced up from the cash register, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Not long. About a week."

"Ah, I thought so, I'm quite a regular here and I couldn't remember seeing you." Tony kept the smiles going.

Leah didn't pay any attention. "The register is not accepting your card. Do you mind if I enter it manually?"

"Go right ahead. I had the same problem earlier this week." Leah looked up and smiled pleasantly at Tim. "Thanks for your patience."

Tony had a flash of confusion. _How could she be paying attention to McGee, _McGee_ of all people?_ As Leah handed Tim his card and receipt, Tony tried again.

"So Leah, will you be around long? Maybe we will run into each other again."

Leah looked at Tony and raised her eyebrow again. "This is just a temporary job. My neighbor owns this place and hired me only for the month until school starts up again."

"Oh, a college girl! What grad school are you attending?"

"Just how old do you think I am?"

Tony was startled by the question. Tim nudged Tony with his elbow, smiling slightly.

"Uh…" Better to guess young, right? "26?"

Leah burst out laughing. Tm started chuckling as well.

"What, did I get it?" _What a guess if I did._

"No, not really."

"Well then-"

"It's really none of your business. We just met." Leah chuckled again. "Stranger danger."

"Oh come on, at least a hint? Please?"  
>Leah walked out from behind the counter. "Sorry boys, I've got to get back to work."<p>

"Come on Tony, Boss will have our skins if we take too long. Lunch break doesn't last forever."

Tim dragged a stunned, open-mouthed Tony towards the side entrance, Tony stammering as they went.

The front doors burst open and a gunshot rang out.

"Everyone freeze! This is a hold up!"


	2. Chapter 2: New Faces

**Chapter 2 New Faces**

"Come on. Come on…" Ziva stared at her computer, muttering various phrases in Hebrew and English under her breath as she typed.

The elevator dinged. Ducky, Jimmy, and Abby walked out deep in discussion.

"All I'm saying is that the bullet fragments in his skull don't have to all be from the same bullet. The pieces were dispersed entirely throughout his head and there were multiple entry points.

"And I'm saying Jimmy that I've run the tests dozens of times! All the fragments came from the same bullet."

"Then how come the pieces are spread so far apart? Did the bullet explode inside of his head?"

"Mr. Palmer, it is possible that-"

"YES!"

Abby, Jimmy, and Ducky looked at Ziva, the source of the exuberant outburst. Ziva flushed slightly. "I've been trying to find Devons in the security tapes for hours."

"Doesn't Timothy normally do that sort of thing?"

"Gibbs has had him cracking the codes and firewalls on the emails between Devons and his employers."

"Speaking of which, where is McGee and Tony. McGee promised he would help me with the rest of the bullet analysis when he was done."

Jimmy piped up. "Gibbs sent them after lunch. I heard him say that Director Vance has an old friend visiting and between him and this case we would probably all be here for a while."

Abby sighed. "I knew it, another all-nighter."

The elevator opened, emitting Vance and a middle aged man. Vance saw the gathering and changed course. "Everyone, this is old friend of mine from my special agent years, Agent Skyler McRyley. He has been stationed in LA for a while and has dropped by to visit. Skyler, this is Ducky, our ME, and his assistant Jimmy, Abby, our forensic specialist, and Special Agent Ziva David."

Skyler smiled pleasantly at the group, shaking everyone's hands. "Pleased to meet you all."

"Pleasure having you here Agent McRyley," said Ducky. "Mr. Palmer and myself welcome you to D.C. and invite you to visit us anytime in Autopsy."

"Same goes for me in my lab."

"Thank you, I will be sure to come by."

Vance nodded. "For now, Skyler, if we could talk in my office." He turned to Ducky. "Would our presence cause any problems, in say, 20 minutes?"

"That would be just fine. Mr. Palmer, let's go and finish up."

"Coming Dr. Mallard."

Ducky and Jimmy headed for the elevator as Vance and Skyler headed for Vance's office. Ziva watched them leave as Gibbs suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Gibbs glanced at the receding figures. "That the agent from LA?"

"Yes. Agent Skyler McRyley. He is really nice Gibbs. He promised he would visit my lab later."

Gibbs looked around the bullpen. "Where's McGee and DiNozzo. Shouldn't they be back by now?"


	3. Chapter 3: A Growing Fire

**Chapter 3 A Growing Fire**

"Everybody on the ground, NOW!"

Everybody fell to the ground in unison. Tony and Tim crouched down by the edge of the counter, glancing at each other. Two large men in black pulled out large black garbage sacks.

One of them yelled in a low voice "Wallets, purses, phones, all electronics, hold them up. Anyone who refrains, the person next to you dies. Hesitate a second time and you die."

Frantic, stumbling movement stirred throughout the room. The two gorilla-sized men started at the far end, working their way closer to Tony and Tim.

"This will not end well."

"As long as they rob and leave. We can trace their phones the second they've gone. I'll lock mine so it stays on."

"Can't we just shoot them?" Tony craned his head and eyed the remaining man just to the left of the door. "I've got a clear shot to the goons. You could get the leader."

"And what if we miss Tony? What then? I don't want to risk getting someone killed, from my bullet or theirs." Tim's gaze rested on the semi-automatic in one of the men's hands. "I'd rather be robbed then risk having twenty people dead around me."

"Well then hurry and lock your phone McGee, before they get here."

The slightly larger of the two men with the collection sack grabbed a man by his jacket.

"That all you've got loser? Surely you can give us more than that."

"I-I-I walked here from my office n-n-next door. Left my phone and wallet on my desk. I-I only brought enough f-for lunch."

The smaller one by the door spoke up.

"Search him."

The man was hauled to his feet and thoroughly searched, none to gently.

"Tony, give me your gun and badge."

"What?"

"Your gun and badge. If they search us, that gives them two more guns full of ammo. Not to mention they might just have grudges on cops."

"Technically we aren't cops" mumbled Tony, but he slowly pulled the gun and holster out and handed it to Tim. Tim already had his in his hands. "Where are you going to put them?"

Tim raised the cushion of the nearest booth, reveling a small space, and slipped both guns in. Tim started to pull his badge out when the thugs turned their way. Tim managed to place the cushion back down to hide the guns before they were approached.

"Valuables, the rest of you."

Tony and Tim pulled out their wallets and phones and slipped them into the half full bags.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry UP!"

A woman was trying to wrestle her wallet out of her large shoulder bag while holding a scared, sobbing child. Her movements grew frantic as the three men surrounded her.

"Please, one moment." The wallet appeared to be stuck in the bag and she only had one hand to retrieve it.

"Get a move on lady. We don't have all day. Does it look like I have a moment to spare for your oversized purse?"

"Please-" The child in her arms began to cry loudly.

"Stop the bawling and get on with it." The man kicked her roughly in the hip, grazing the toddler and causing the woman to flinch severely. Tony and Tim both instinctively started, but restrained themselves.

The smallest man looked in their direction. "You got a problem boys? Huh? You care for this poor old, fat lady?"

Tony and Tim looked at the ground in silence.

He smirked. "Thought so." The three turned around and paused in surprise.

The waitress Leah sat half crouched between the men and the woman. Leah had the purse in one hand, the offending wallet in the other. The woman quietly calmed the toddler as Leah extended the wallet out slowly, looking the man with the sack straight in the eye.

Silence. Silence for a full five seconds, though to some it felt like an eternity.

Snapping out of it, the smallest man (_Probably the leader_, thought Tim) ignored the offered wallet and grabbed Leah by the hair, pulling her to her feet.

"What is YOUR problem now sweetie? Trying to be a little hero or something?"

Leah winced at the tugging. "No" she said simply.

He shook her violently. "Who gave you permission to interfere missy? Did I ask for helpers?" He pulled her face inches from his, nearly lifting her off of the ground. "Did I ask for your…assistance?"

Leah said nothing. A violent shake. "No"

"Then maybe next time you won't be so charitable. Loser." He pulled out a gun and held it to her forehead.


	4. Chapter 4: Part of the Job Description

**A/N **This chapter is a bit longer than the others. I've got three chapters posted today, so don't necessarily expect another for a day or two.

**Chapter 4 Part of the Job Description**

Tony and Tim both leaped to their feet.

"Leave her alone!" "Let her go!"

The leader rounded on them, Leah's hair still in his hand. "Oh-ho, now we have _three_ people who want to be heroes. Well, aren't you just a bunch of warm-hearted wannabes."

He beckoned his thugs over towards Tim and Tony. The two walked over and looked to the leader, as if asking for permission. He nodded.

Both took hard swings towards Tim and Tony's faces. Tony dodged just enough to only get grazed on the jaw. Tim wasn't quite fast enough and got knocked square over his eye. The force of the blow knocked him into a table, scattering chairs as he fell to the floor. Something small and black fell out of his outermost jacket pocket.

"Look at that boys, not only is he slow, he was hiding his goods from us." The man threw Leah brutally into Tony and they both fell into a flimsy chair, then to the floor.

The leader scooped up the small black object and flipped it open. The small parts of his face showing behind the low hat and sunglasses paled. He paused for a moment, seeming scared of what he was seeing.

Nearly instantly, the fear was gone.

" 'Special Agent Timothy McGee, NCIS.' Well, well, well, this bag of flab is a cop." He sneered at Tim, who was still lying on the floor, dazed from the hit to his face. "Guess they don't make cops as tough as they once did."

He looked at Tony, who was sitting on the floor with Leah half on top of him. Leah carefully picked herself off of Tony as the leader pointed his gun at her again.

"Show me yours bud, or she loses."

Tony cursed under his breath. _I guess McGee didn't manage to get the badge in the cushion. _Tony slowly pulled out his badge as well.

"Ah, good boy." He swiped it, then chucked both badges onto a booth seat. "Now stay there bud. Wouldn't want you to get that pretty little face of yours all banged up like your buddy there."

Tony glared at him and glanced at Tim. Tim was trying to sit up while holding his hand tightly to his forehead. Tony saw a small trickle of blood running down the side of his head.

"Well boys, our work here is done. Merry Christmas to all you wonderfully generous people."

The three moved towards the side door. A chorus of sirens split the air. Red and blue lights flashed over the walls.

"Freeze!" A megaphoned command rang out. Several cops could be seen through the glass doorway. "This is Metro police. Put your hand in the air, you are completely surrounded."

The man didn't hesitate. He grabbed Leah, kicked Tony in the chest when he made a slight move towards her, and held her in front of himself.

"I've got a girl and about sixteen others in here. I have enough gun power to take them all down within seconds if I so desire." He smiled slightly then yelled "Move or this girl will be the first to go!"

The police paused, saw Leah's danger, then slowly backed away from the door.

"Move out on the street. In front of the shop."

The police slowly backed away, guns trained on the doors.

_Why did they suddenly decide to interfere now?_ Thought Tony,_ A few more seconds and we would have been home free._

The leader's smile grew. "Tell you what. I'm going to send an associate of mine out the door first. He's going to have an unwilling friend with him as well. If he gets shot, people die. If any of you attempt to take out any of my party, innocents will die. If any of you come any closer, people will die. Got it?"

The police were no longer visible from Tony's spot on the floor.

"We understand you."

The leader scoffed and looked around. His eyes rested first on Tony, then Tim.

"Both of you, grab a cop and get to the back alley. Mike, you go first, Zach, you come after me."

The one called Mike dragged a slightly dizzy, but very aware, Tim off the ground. He pulled one arm painfully behind his back with one hand while holding the large semi-automatic in the other. The two walked out the door and walked backwards towards the small alley next to the shop. The leader put his arm around Leah's neck, held his hand gun to her head, and followed. The man called Zach grabbed Tony by his coat, and held a very large, scary serrated knife to his throat. They followed the leader out the door. Tony saw four squad cars blocking the surrounding streets. Zach bared the knife at the cops, showing them he was armed and dangerous.

"Now then cops please do avoid following me and my associates. I would hate for a family to lose a beloved member today."

The cops made no movements as the group backed slowly into the dark alley. As soon as they were out of sight, the thugs thrust Tony and Tim in front of them. Tim had recovered enough to avoid falling, but reeled dangerously.

"Let's go boys. We have a ride to catch, and we don't want to miss it." He smiled a cold smile that didn't come close to reaching his eyes. "One false move _Special Agents_ and this little lady will suffer more pain than a sore scalp."

Tony and Tim glanced at each other then followed thug Zach into the back alleys. They took a few twists and turns before coming to a busy street. A large white van pulled up. Thug Mike opened the passenger door while thug Zack opened the cargo door.

"In." The first words he had said.

Tim and Tony climbed into the empty back of the van. Leah was thrust in after them and the door was shut with a slam. Tim scrambled to the door and felt around in the dark, then sat down with a sigh. "Door handle has been removed."

The van rumbled to life and started moving. No one spoke for a minute. Each was digesting what had happened in their own way.

"So... you guys are cops?"

Tim chuckled. "Actually no, we work for NCIS."

"The Navy? Naval Criminal Investigation…uh."

"Service. The Naval Criminal Investigation Service."

"Oh."

Tim could sense the fear and doubt in her voice. "I'm Tim, Timothy McGee."

"And I'm Anthony DiNozzo. But you can call me Tony. Considering we have all been…kidnapped I don't think titles are necessary."

"I'm Leah Wyattson. Nice to meet you…regardless of the circumstances."

They all sat for a moment.

"What-" Leah's voice cracked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "At risk of sounding very cliché, what do you think is going to happen to us? And don't tell me everything is going to be okay. I watch plenty of TV. An honest answer would be nice."

Tony smiled at her scared but almost fierce tone. Tim answered. "Well, based on their preparation, they probably planned on kidnapping someone, at least if necessary, when they planned the robbery. With luck you will be ransomed and maybe be home in a few hours."

"What about you guys?"

"We are agents, NCIS. If we were ransomed cops would be kidnapped left and right."

"But that's unfair. Sure your job is to help people, but that doesn't mean you can't get help to."

"Our team will come for us. Our boss isn't one to leave people behind." McGee shifted closer to the others. "He will come."

"Besides, if he doesn't than he has to train a new probie, and the Boss hates probies."

"Yeah, whatever Tony."

Leah chuckled. "Are you a probie Tim?"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yeeeees," Tony sang.

"Shut up Tony."

"Sure thing probie."

Tim sighed. They sat in silence, only the rumbling of the road beneath them.

"Hey Leah."

"Yeah, um…Tony?"

"Mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure, and you can ask one more as well."

Tony chuckled and rolled his eyes, glad it was dark. "Why did you step between that woman and these guys? You could have gotten…well killed."

The darkness hid Leah's face, but her voice was firm. "I wasn't thinking really. I guess I thought that it wasn't right that she was being abused for trying to comfort her son." She paused and took a shaky breath. "I have little brothers, and for a moment, I saw them. I saw them crying in fear, about to get hurt because of a silly wallet. So, I interfered." Leah chuckled quietly. "Besides, part of my job contract states that I have to protect customers from injury and illness. I think I can bend that to fit protecting them from robbers as well as food poisoning."

Tony and Tim sat in silence, taking it all in. After a few minutes, Tim spoke up.

"That was a very brave thing you did. No matter what happens, or what they tell you, that was a very, very good thing you did."

"Thanks…why did you guys stick up for me?"

"Well Leah, that's part of our job description to. Maybe not written down on paper, but an unspoken rule."

"You guys probably have quite a few of those."

McGee thought of Gibbs. "You have no idea."


	5. Chapter 5: Missing in Action

**Chapter 5 Missing in Action**

Ziva sat at her computer, wishing it would magically (_wow, I can't believe I actually though the word 'magically'_) pull up the correct video with the right feedback setting and the exact time she was looking for. Ziva rubbed her eyes. _McGee is the one who normally does this. He could probably find everything we need in ten seconds with his hands tied behind his back. _ She looked at her hands which were aching at all of the typing she had been doing in the past three hours. _Well, maybe one hand. He would need at least one to type with. _

Abby stormed in.

"Where is McGee and Tony?"

"I don't know. Probably still out getting lunch."

"McGee promised he would help me with this impossible reconstruction program."

"I don't know what is taking them."

"And Tony has my sandwich, and I'm hungry!"

"Abby, if I knew, I promise I would tell you. Seeing that I don't know, yelling at me won't make them appear any faster."

Abby sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry Ziva. I get cranky when I'm hungry."

"I noticed," said Ziva laughing.

Gibbs walked in. "Where the heck is McGee and DiNozzo?"

"Like I just told Abby, I don't have any idea."

"Well they're taking too long, and Vance is getting impatient. The bad guys don't catch themselves."

Ziva rolled her eyes and said nothing.

"Call them. You to Abby. See what is taking so long."

"Sure thing Gibbs. I'm going to give McGee a piece of my mind."

Abby furiously whipped out her phone and started punching numbers. Ziva more calmly started her call on her desk phone.

Gibbs sat down at his desk and looked at the screen. Five days and still nothing on that guy Devons. If they didn't find something soon then the FBI would take over the case and Gibbs would have no say whatsoever in whatever happened.

Abby stomped over to Gibbs desk. "McGee is not answering his phone. I called three times!"

"Tony is not answering either. I was sent straight to voice mail before the line even rang."

Gibbs breathed silent threats under his breath. The elevator dinged, ignored by the group.

"Where could they possibly be?"

"I think I can answer that Jethro." Ducky walked over from the elevator and picked up the plasma screen remote. "I was listening to the news on the radio when I heard this."

Ducky turned the TV on and switched to the local news station.

"-king news, a robbery has turned into a hostage situation at Sammy's Sub Station. Just minutes ago 3 masked men stormed the sub shop and started shooting guns and waving knives." Vance and Skyler walked into the bullpen. "A chef in the back called 911 and told police that the three men are collecting wallets, purses, and electronics. Police have converged on the scene. Our news staff is at the scene now, catching the action live."

The shot cut to a busy street. Four squad cars surrounded the small restaurant and police were slowly backing away from the entrance. Garbled voices came from a megaphone held by police and muffled shouting could be heard coming from the shop. A very large man in black appeared, pushing someone ahead of him while holding a large gun in one hand. The camera zoomed in on the door. Abby whimpered at the sight of Tim, with a developing black eye and a small bleeding cut above his eyebrow.

A second pair came out, a smaller man in black with his arm around a young women's neck, holding a hand gun to her head. A third pair. Ziva made a small noise as Tony was pushed out with a very large knife held to his throat.

The scene cut back to the news station. The news anchor continued her report, but all in the bullpen had fallen deaf to her words. For a moment, everyone just stood and looked at one another.

"Ziva, grab your gear. We are headed over. Abby, see what you can do with the news footage."

"But Gibbs-"

"No buts. Ducky, will you and Jimmy help her in whatever way you can?"

"Of course Jethro. I will go and get Mr. Palmer right now."

"We're coming to Gibbs."

"You sure Leon? You and Agent McRyley both?"

"Yes. You are officially down two members of our team, and two Special Agents at that."

"Consider us as being TAD's for… however long needed," said Skyler.

Gibbs nodded, expressing his gratitude. "Let's move."


	6. Chapter 6: Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 6 Home Sweet Home**

Ever been on a road trip that never seems to end? You leave home and the entire trip seems like driving until your back home?

Leah was feeling the same, but on this trip, she didn't expect to see home when the doors opened. And she didn't know where they were going. AND she couldn't see where they were going. _This would be the worst family trip in the history of family trips. _Leah sat up off the floor, giving up on sleeping at all.

A thorough search of the back of the van revealed a plethora of dust (to which Tony started sneezing), a scrap of paper, a rubber band (now helping hold Tony's tie to Tim's forehead in an effort to stop the bleeding) and…

"What is this thing?"

"What shape is it?"

"Small and round, and the outside is crinkly, like paper."

"Let me see."

Leah handed the object to Tony. Tim was lying down in the corner, fighting a raging headache and trying to stop his head from bleeding.

A crackling sound.

"It sounds like a wrapper."

Tony sniffed, then gagged. "Bleh, pff, old cherry cough drop or something."

Tim raised his voice from the corner. "What'd you do Tony, eat it?"

"Yes Probie, I put an unknown marble sized object in my mouth."

"I could see you doing that."

"Shut up Leah."

Being stuck in a pitch-black van for over 10 hours…you can imagine the emotions were running high.

The van rumbled to a stop, only the second stop since the start of the trip. The door opened and a bright flashlight blinded the occupants.

"Out."

Tony climbed out, followed by Leah and Tim, blinking hard. A gun cocked. "Let's move compadres, we're wasting daylight." Leah looked around and noticed it was very, very dark outside.

Tony blinked hard, trying to get a look at their surroundings. A small trailer-style house sat on the edge of a forest, a dirt driveway connecting the house to whatever road they had just been on for however long. The three were rushed inside and through a very empty living room. A small hallway led to a staircase to the basement. A sparser looking basement revealed two doors. Thug Zach opened the right door and shoved Tim and Tony in, followed by Leah.

The door slammed. "Sleep tight kiddies. Tomorrow is a big day."

The click of several locks followed his harsh laughter. Tony wiped the dust off of his hands. "That laugh is getting on my nerves."

"His vocabulary is lacking as well."

"I found a light switch."

A small yellow bulb lit the room. The three looked around the space. Tim stood by the locked door and the light switch. Tony stood next to a small window that was covered by bars and plywood. A large beam crossed the ceiling and a few iron rings were bolted to the wall. Leah tugged on one. "Looks like a towel ring, or rack, without the towels."

Tim looked at the beam. "The room looks finished, but this beam is odd."

Tony jumped and grabbed it, hanging a foot off the ground. "Seems strong. No creaking."

Leah looked up. "I hope not. If it was I wouldn't be able to sleep."

Tim looked around the entire room. "Iron rings, a ceiling beam, and a boarded window."

Tony grimaced. "Home sweet home."


	7. Chapter 7: Not a Trace Or Maybe

**A/N: **Wow, this chapter turned out really long! I didn't want to split this part of the story into pieces; it didn't seem to flow right when I did. I will be honest, I don't know a whole lot about processing crime scenes. I hope I don't mess this one up to badly.

**Chapter 7 Not a Trace… Or Maybe…**

"What the blaze is going on?"

Cars and people were packed around the sub shop. Reporters were everywhere, on cars, in neighboring buildings; some were even standing on one another's shoulders. The street was packed with people yelling, pushing, and arguing. Flashing his lights, Gibbs eased the sedan through the crowd. A cop moved a small section of the barriers, just wide enough for the sedan. Reporters tried to flow through the gap but were blocked by a mob of law enforcement. As Ziva, Gibbs, Vance, and Skyler approached the shop, flashing id as they went, an officer walked out of the shop.

"Agent Gibbs, Director Vance?"

"Yes, that's us."

"I am Officer Barnes. I've been assigned to give you the low down on the scene. My boys are almost done with evidence, so if you could follow me inside."

The shop was intact with the exception of a broken front window. The tables and chairs were scattered haphazardly and small yellow cards marked evidence.

"The assailants entered through the front and immediately started collecting possessions." They moved to a spot near the front counter. A yellow card marked it as a place of interest. A few dots of blood sat on the floor.

"Witnesses say the men hit a woman as she tried to get her wallet out of her purse. We're told she had a small child with her and that the noise of the child aggravated the assailants. A waitress identified as Leah Wyattson stepped between the woman and the men and helped her with her wallet."

Gibbs held a hand up. "Quick question. How badly was the woman hurt? What is her name?"

"Karlee Wealth. She was a small cut on her face and a black eye. Her son got a small knock to the head as well, but it is superficial."

Gibbs motioned for Barnes to continue.

"After Wyattson helped her out, one of the thugs grabbed her by the hair and held a gun to her head. Your agents McGee and DiNozzo intervened."

Gibbs held in a sigh as they moved a more feet, weaving between the scattered chairs. They stopped at another set of blood droplets.

"Witnesses state that your agents were both slugged by the men and knocked to the floor. The blood belongs to Agent McGee, who was hit over the eye." Skyler winced slightly. "The rest you probably saw on the news."

"You said your guys found a pair of guns?"

"Yeah, two hand guns. We searched the numbers and they belong to your two missing agents. We think one of your guys hid them under the cushion in this booth to keep them from the men. Their badges were thrown in the booth as well, but witnesses say that the apparent leader put them there after he found them. Our forensic specialists are dusting for prints."

Gibbs stood silent, sweeping the scene with his eyes. "Thank you for your help," said Director Vance. "We would like copies of all the evidence when you guys are done. I understand Metro is in charge but-"

"Don't worry Director, we'll make sure you are told everything. Your agents are victims, but they are still agents."

"Thank you Officer Barnes. I greatly appreciate it."

"If you could come with me and sign off a few things, I will be sure all evidence is transferred to your office."

Vance and Officer Barnes walked away, Skyler following behind. Ziva sat carefully down in one of the few upright chairs, rubbing her eyes. "Why didn't McGee or Tony just shoot the guys? Why hide the guns?"

"Too many civilians. And it was three to two."

"That wouldn't have stopped them."

Gibbs stared silently. He walked to the side door and looked out at where his agents had disappeared off the map. Ziva began snapping a few photos, angry over the lack of evidence and the lack of information they seemed to have.

"Ziva, come out here."

The tone of Gibb's voice propelled Ziva rapidly to the door.

Gibbs pointed. "What does that look like?"

Past the mess of footprints caused by the police, a set of tracks led through the alley. Ziva examined a set. "Three pairs of thick boots, a pair of sneakers, and…"

"Tony's."

"And McGee's!"

"And look there."

Small red depressions littered the snow. Ziva and Gibbs looked at each other, communicating silently. Ziva snapped a few pictures and took a sample. Gibbs slowly started following the tracks, gun in hand. He didn't think the men would still be there, but better to be safe than sorry.

_Snap_, the footprints became less muddled and they all pointed forward, indicating Tim, Tony, and Leah were all walking on their own, or at least not being dragged backwards.

Snap, a few scattered blood drops in the snow.

Snap, a half bloody handprint on the corner of a wall.

Snap, a single drop of blood they nearly missed.

Suddenly they were at the road, cars speeding by, horns ringing.

"Someone must have picked them up here."

Ziva looked up and down the street. "Gibbs, there's an ATM right there. Do you think-"

"ATM video might have caught the car-"

"So we can trace the plates."

"Let's go."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Evidence in Abby's good hands, photos organized, witness statements taken and reviewed, restaurant and ATM video received. All of the blood belonged to either Tim or the injured witness. Abby had a minor panic attack at the results, but managed to calm when Ducky pointed out the amount of blood they found was scarcely enough to put him in danger.

"Perhaps, Abigail, Tim was trying to leave us a trail, a way to find where they went."

Abby went silent, digesting that statement.

Ziva, with a little help from (who would have thought) Jimmy got the ATM video rolling.

"Is this the correct time period?"

"It should be. Between noon and one o'clock."

"On screen Ziva."

Video appeared, a busy street with only a few walking pedestrians. Ziva slowly fast forwarded through the video until-

"Right there! Stop!"

In the very corner of the screen, a man dressed in black appeared. He glanced around the corner as a white van pulled up. One man opened the passenger door and placed the guns inside, another opened the cargo doors and pointed Tim and Tony inside. The third shoved Leah in after and locked the door manually with a key. Everyone else climbed in the front and the van drove away.

"Ziva, get this down to Abby. See if you can get a license plate number." Ziva stood up without a word and headed to Abby's lab.

Gibbs looked around and saw Skyler standing around, waiting for Gibbs to be done. _You need help on this, s_aid a small voice in Gibbs head. _Let him help out. He's not a replacement, just a temporary addition, a TAD. _

"McRyley."

"Yes Agent Gibbs."

"Would you take a look through the restaurant video and look for anything of interest Metro might have missed?"

"Sure thing." He looked around.

"Use McGee's desk, his computer is best."

"Sound good. I'll just go and get the video from Abby's lab." Skyler walked out of the bullpen and entered the elevator.

Gibbs sat down heavily at his desk and dropped the mask. He rubbed his head for a moment, worry etched in every line on his face. An email blinked on the screen. Gibbs pulled it up and saw the yet another request the FBI had sent in an effort to take over the Devons case. He hesitated, then sent a short, terse message stating that he would turn the whole case over to FBI and that they need only get in touch with Vance for the official transaction. Clicking send, Gibbs sat back in his chair. _They will of course think that I just gave into their demands, unless one of them is smart enough to watch the news and see that I am missing half of my team. _Gibbs bent over and rested his head on his hands for a moment, then sat up straight. _McGee and Tony are more important right now than just another misguided murderer. _

Ziva and Skyler both walked off the elevator at the same time and strode into the bullpen.

"Got a number Ziva?"

"The plates are registered to a man from New York named David Smith. He's a US citizen, white male age 23. His records don't show any current address, but we do know he dropped out of college a year ago and was working at a packaging company. However the company records show he quit 5 months ago."

"Where is his last known address?"

"Corning, New York. About 280 miles from here."

"Think he'd be kidnapping in DC?"

Skyler spoke up. "He could be a hired driver."

Gibbs looked at him, eyebrows raised.

Skyler continued. "I've worked several cases where drug dealers hire random kids off the street to cart their drugs places. They are paid to drive and keep their mouths shut."

"Do they get a share of the drugs?" Asked Ziva.

"Sometimes. Many drug dealers don't ever tell their drivers what they have. They just call the numbers on the market and put the crates in the trucks."

"Would they cart people?" Asked Gibbs.

Skyler shrugged. "Not in my experience, but I don't see why not. They would probably have to pay them extra, unless they were threatened."

"Or killed," muttered Ziva.

Gibbs stared at the profile of David Smith on the screen. "Ziva, start a search on all of the known David Smiths in New York. See if the name is registered anywhere within the last 6 months. McRyley put a BOLO out on his guy and send his info down to Abby. I'm going to have Abby run this guy's face through all of our systems. If he disappeared 6 months ago, he's either changed his name, or he's dead." Gibbs headed for the elevator.

Ziva looked over at Skyler. "How many people in New York do you think have the name David Smith?"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

**Author's Note 2:** Any time I put distances in stories, I will always do my homework. Corning, New York actually exists and is actually 280 miles from DC (at least from all the sources I've examined). I've been there before.


	8. Chapter 8: And so it Begins

**Chapter 8: And so it Begins**

A few rays of sunlight made it through the boarded window. A raging headache woke Tim from his ragged sleep. He sat up and watched the sunlight travel across the room through a crack in the boards. The light slowly fell over Leah's face. Her eyes twitched, then opened.

"Darn it."

"What's the matter?"

"I almost convinced myself this was all a dream." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "A long, unpleasant, very real dream."

Tim said nothing. _How do I respond to that?_ He wondered.

Tony stirred and sat up, yawning. He looked over at Leah and saw her downcast expression. "When do you think room service will arrive?

Leah smiled. "When they come in to change the sheets and replace those cute little packages of soap."

Tim chuckled. "And an insulated bin of ice."

"And three fresh cups of coffee."

"Ugh, you can have mine Tony."

"You don't like coffee Leah?"

"Nope."

"I'll take it then."

"No way probie she offered it to me."

"That's only-"

"Shh!"

Leah's head was turned towards the door. Footsteps echoed above their heads. Tim and Tony looked at one another as the steps descended downward and closer to them.

Tony looked at Leah. He could see the fear growing in her eyes. Her hands started to shake. Tony reached over and grasped her hand. He saw Tim grasp her shoulder at nearly the same moment. Leah looked at them both, then raised her head and squared her shoulders. Tony could still see the fear, but he also saw a fierce determination.

The locks on the door clicked.

_And so it begins._

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Gibbs walked into the bullpen around seven am. The team had been in the office until around one in the morning trying to alert the entire east coast of an annoyingly common white van with a certain set of license plates. Ducky finally came up and told Gibbs his team needed to get some rest, otherwise they could make a mistake. Gibbs grumbled under his breath and gruffly told everyone to be back by eight am or to not come back at all.

Ziva walked in at 7:02, saw Gibbs, and said traffic was bad just outside D.C. At 7:05 Abby came in with Jimmy and told Gibbs she was so late because she stopped by to get Jimmy, whose car broke down. Ducky walked in at 7:06 and merely said "Highway 1" and continued to Autopsy. Skyler and Vance walked in at 7:15, debating the levels of traffic in California and D.C.

Vance excused himself from the conversation and motioned to Gibbs. Gibbs followed Vance up to his office.

"The young women in the video, what is her name?"

Gibbs was caught off guard by the question. He racked his brain for a minute. "Wyattson… Leah Wyattson."

"Her parents would like to speak to you."

"What? Now?"

"No, not now. The Wyattson family is out west in Colorado visiting family. They can't get a flight back to D.C. until late this evening. They want to speak to the agent in charge of finding their daughter."

Gibbs suppressed an annoyed sigh. "When?"

"In about an hour. The time zone is two hours different and they can't get a connection until 6:30 their time."

"Fine. Conference room?"

"Yes. Bring your whole team."

Wanting to roll his eyes, Gibbs took the unspoken dismissal and returned to the bullpen.

Ducky was waiting for Gibbs with a question, but at Gibbs annoyed look he decided it wasn't so important.

"Any news Jethro?"

"No." Gibbs turned to his computer and started working. Ducky walked to the desk and stood in front of it, staring. Gibbs turned and sighed. "The girl's parents want a video conference with me, the 'leading agent'."

"You don't seem too happy about that."

"Every second is another second we could lose the few leads he have. The whole kidnapping is shrouded in confusion. I have plenty of other things I could be doing."

"You think offering assurances to a grieving family is a waste of time?"

"Not a waste, but-"

"Jethro, this family's daughter and sister has just been kidnapped at gunpoint in the capital of the USA. The entire nation, and probably the world, has seen the footage; the media is going crazy with it. I turned on my television and every single news station was talking about it."

Gibbs continued staring at his computer.

"I would think that you of all people here Jethro would understand their fears, at least a little."

Gibbs continued staring.

"I want to find Anthony and Timothy as much as you do, but I also don't want to have another grieving father in the world, if I can help it."

Gibbs looked at Ducky, finally registering what he was implying. Ducky shook his head and walked away, headed to the elevator.

"Gibbs, we've got a hit."

Nearly instantly Gibbs was by Ziva's desk.

"Where?"


	9. Chapter 9: Hope and Hurt

**Chapter 9: Hope and Hurt**

"A local station said they've spotted a white van with our license plate driving north-east towards Rochester, New York. They have officers keeping tabs on it and want to know what we want to do."

"How far is Rochester from here?"

Abby, who and joined them, took over Ziva's keyboard and frantically typed. "According to the internet, it is about 390 miles from D.C., a seven hour drive."

"Legally or illegally Abby?"

"Legally of course. Illegally, well, that depends on traffic, speed-"

"Do you think that Tony and McGee are there?" asked Ziva.

"Possible. Though if our driver isn't with the other guys, my guess is that he dropped them off and is driving home."

Skyler spoke up. "What if they've crossed the border?"

"We would have been told. You can't drive between Canada and the US nearly as easily as you could before 9/11. The car would have been noticed and reported" said Abby.

"Unless they had help crossing," said Ziva.

Abby typed a few more keys. "It's only about an hour flight from the Dulles airport to the Greater Rochester International Airport."

Gibbs' mind was racing as he stared at the maps on the screen of the plasma.

"Abby" Vance called from the conference room. "The techies need your help getting a stable connection in here."

Abby looked at Vance then whirled on Gibbs. "Don't make any decisions without me." She ran to the conference room.

Gibbs continued thinking as the others discussed possible plans or destinations.

"Regardless-," everyone went silent. "We cannot go anywhere today."

"Why not Gibbs?" asked Ziva.

"The young women's family would like to talk to us in…" He checked his watch. "Five minutes."

"All of us?" Jimmy had joined the conversation with Ducky.

"Yes Mr. Palmer, he said all of us."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Five minutes later, Ziva felt a sudden pit in her stomach. She disliked having to talk to families who had lost a relative. At worst they cried uncontrollably and made the investigation harder. At best…well there really was no best reaction.

_I might have to remember this as a best response though._ She thought.

The team sat quietly as Gibbs discussed the case with Leah's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Wyattson, both in their mid-40's, listened with rapt attention as Gibbs spoke, never interrupting. They held hands tightly, the only outward display of their grief and anxiety.

"We have tracked the license plate to a van in Rochester, New York. The local authorities there are keeping an eye on it until we decide what course of action we are going to take," said Gibbs.

"Do you think they are in New York?" asked Mr. Wyattson.

"That is our best guess. However, Leah has been missing for over 24 hours now. The chances that she hasn't been moved additionally are…"

"Slim."

"Yes. I'm sorry."

Mrs. Wyattson spoke. "Don't be sorry please Agent Gibbs. You have had double the loss we have, and we know you are working hard to bring your men home safely." She took a shaky breath and let it out slowly, obviously trying to control her tears.

_Wow, if I was her, I'd be totally freaking out all over the place. _Thought Abby. _How does she control herself like that?_

"Are your flight plans still that you will arrive in D.C. tomorrow morning?" asked Gibbs.

"Yes. Our plane should land tomorrow around 4:30 am your time in Baltimore," said Mr. Wyattson.

"We will have to drop our other children off at home on our way to D.C., but we should be to NCIS by no later than 8 am," said Mrs. Wyattson.

There was an awkward pause in the conversation. Abby stood up to speak so they could see her.

"How many other children do you have Mrs. Wyattson?"

Mrs. Wyattson looked at Abby and smiled. "I have seven children total, um-"

"Abby."

"Abby, thank you. Leah is my only daughter. She has six brothers."

"Wow. That is quite a family."

"Thank you Abby."

There was another pause.

"Well, I look forward to meeting your team in person Agent Gibbs," said Mr. Wyattson.

"As do I. I wish it could be under better circumstances."

He sighed. "As do I."

The signal was ended. Everyone sat and stood in silence.

"Boss."

"Yeah Ziva?"

"I assume we are going to wait for them to arrive before we go to New York."

"You are right. This family deserves to know that actual people are on the lookout for their only daughter."

Gibbs walked out, followed by Ducky, Jimmy, Skyler, Abby, and Vance. Ziva stared at the empty screen. _Those people might seem calm, but the tension in their bodies and the pain in their eyes tell another story._

Ziva slowly left the conference room. _ Why do I feel such sympathy for these people? Why do I suddenly want to find those responsible for talking their daughter? _She thought about the number of kids in the family and thought about the pain she saw in their faces. A few of the children had been noticeable on the screen, and they looked terrified. _You know why._ Said a small voice in her head. _Because regardless of how many children they have, the absence of one is like a giant hole in someone's life. No one can take the place of a dead son, daughter, brother, or sister. _Images of her own family intruded her mind followed by the sharp pain of her loses. She pushed the feelings aside, an action she had had a lot of time to practice.

_We will find her. We will find her alive. Maybe not whole, but alive. Then I will find those responsible and make them pay for the pain they have caused this family. _She walked into the bullpen and noticed the stranger at Tim's desk and the empty space at Tony's. Tony laughing and Tim smiling at her over his computer monitor appeared in her mind. _For Leah, for her family, for Tony, and for McGee. You boys who took them had better watch out, for it will be unpleasant when I catch up to you._


	10. Chapter 10: Bruises

**Author's Note: **I don't own any Marvel characters. They just happen to make their way into the conversations.

**Chapter 10: Bruises**

The door opened. Leah and Tony looked up from their respective places on the floor. Tim stumbled into the room and fell to his knees. The door shut with a slam and the locks all clicked into place. Tony carefully half crawled, half scooted over to Tim. He placed one hand on Tim's shoulder. Tim looked up at Tony and carefully shook his head. The two of them carefully moved over to the wall next to Leah. She sat up and the three of them leaned on the back wall.

"You okay McGee?" asked Tony.

McGee slowly leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "Not too bad. Headache is back from yesterday."

"Anything major we need to… address."

Tim opened his eyes and looked down at himself. He could see the blood on his shirt from the cut on his forehead and the knees of his pants were darker than the rest of his pants. "No, just lots of bumps and bruises." Tim looked at his right hand. Several small cuts lined his palm. _I need to work on my hand clenching problem. I didn't notice those until just now._

Tim looked at Tony. "Are you okay?"

"Right as rain Probie." He grinned and slowly spread his arms out. "A thug can't bruise this toned muscle."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Right Tony. You're Superman."

Leah spoke. "He could be Wolverine, you know from X-Men.

"An old, hairy dude who has metal claws in his forearms? Nah, I'd rather be Superman."

"Tony wants to be an invincible guy who is hurt by green slabs of rock and can't get a girl. That sounds like you Tony."

"You are just jealous of my six-pack McFlabby."

Leah laughed, but chocked and started into a coughing fit. Her coughs became violent and she bent over, hacking into her lap. Tim reached over and supported Leah's left side. Tony scooted over to her right side to help. After a minute or two the spasm calmed and Leah managed to take a few shallow breaths. Tim shot Tony a look over her head. Tony looked at Tim and gestured to his throat, miming a squeezing motion. Tim looked through a gap in Leah's hair and saw a thick red and purple line across her neck.

"Leah, what happened? What did he do to you?"

Leah leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. "Nothing major."

Tony looked grim. "Leah, please let us help you if we can. We are all stuck here together. No need to distance yourself in an effort to look tough."

Leah looked at Tony, her eyes clear and piercing.

"I will if you will Special Agent DiNozzo."

_Geez, I set myself up for that one. _"Deal."

Leah didn't respond but carefully pulled her shirt sleeves off her wrists. Large red and purple marks circled her wrists like bracelets.

"That and the bruise on my neck is all I've got." She put her hands in her lap, staring at the forming welts and bruises. "The short guy stood me in the center of a room and started walking in circles around me." She smiled. "I felt like I was at a horse fair." Her smile faded. "He started slamming my looks, my hair, my build, basically insulting everything about me. Then he starting cursing out my family, friends, heritage, probably everything he could think of. After about 20 minutes of this he asked me what I thought about myself, how I could live with being such a low, ugly, despicable human being."

Tim felt an angry bubble growing in his chest. "What did you say?"

"At first I said nothing. Then he grabbed my wrists and started squeezing." A small lopsided smile appeared on Leah's face. "I told him my self-esteem wasn't so low that I would let the words of a complete stranger cause me to fall to pieces."

Tony and Tim both laughed. Leah's smile grew. After moment Tim stopped and looked at Leah. "What did he think about that?"

"He seemed surprised. He just froze for a second, staring at me, kind of like in the restaurant." Leah's smile faded. "Then he grabbed my neck."

The mood turned dark. Leah took a shaky breath. "After he just dragged me back here and dumped me in the room. I'll admit I was scared he had killed you guys, but then Tony was brought back, then you Tim."

Tony raised a hand, then awkwardly stopped his hand mid-air. He hesitated, then carefully placed it on her shoulder and squeezed gently. Leah looked that Tony then back at her lap.

Tim carefully took one of her hands and examined the injuries. "It doesn't look like your wrists are swelling much, and your fingers are working. I'll bet there is no major internal damage, just some bad bruising."

Blue met green as Leah looked Tim in the eye for the first time. She smiled a small grateful smile, then looked over at Tony. "Your turn Superman."

Tony stretched his legs out. "Not much to tell. Thug Zach pulled me out, tied my hands to a beam like this one above my head, and used me as his very own personal punching bag." He looked at Leah and wiggled his eyebrows. "Luckily he avoided this flawless face of mine."

Tim snorted. "Thug Zach?"

"Yeah, you've got Thug Zach, Thug Mike, and Leader Thug. I think Thug Zach likes me best."

"Flawless face?"

"You are totally jealous of my handsome features Probie." Tony flashed the all-to-familiar charming grin at Leah. "It's how I get all the ladies."

"Sorry Tony, but I think I'm way too young for you."

"You never did tell me how old you are."

"You'll freak out Tony. You're what, in your 30's?"

"I asked you first."

Leah rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling. Tony leaned slightly closer in anticipation.

"I'm eighteen."

If Tony had been standing he would have fallen to the floor in surprise. As it was he flinched backwards, mouth open in shock, his eyes wide.

"You're a lot younger than you look," said Tim.

"I get that all the time. Once when I was working at a Wal-Mart I had a coworker invite me to get a drink at a bar I carefully told him I was not legal to drink. He thought I was twenty-four. I was barely seventeen."

Tony made a gargling noise. Tim looked over at Tony. "You might want to breath Tony, before you pass out."

Tony took a deep breath and snapped his mouth closed. "I-" he swallowed. "I feel…. stupid."

"Don't. I get it a lot, really. It's happened all my life."

"At least you don't-"

A click sounded, the door slammed open and bounced off the wall. All three thugs walked in.

"Round two kids. Hope you can handle it."

Leader Thug grabbed Leah by the hair and pulled her out the door. Thug Zach grabbed Tony and Thug Mike grabbed Tim. All three were hauled out and the door slammed shut behind them.


	11. Chapter 11: Intentions

**Chapter 11 Intentions**

The sun set on the second day of the investigation. Skyler manned the hotlines, taking hourly reports of the van in New York. Local police in Rochester were keeping an eye on it with orders to not let it leave the city.

Ziva hung up the phone with a desperate sigh. "Do you know how many people named David Smith live in New York?"

Skyler looked up. "I'm guessing a lot."

"1088! Sure, only 37 of them live in Rochester, but in the past six hours I've only been able to account directly for half of them!"

"That means you have at least 18 to go Ziva," said Gibbs as he walked in. Ziva muttered under her breath and picked up the phone again.

Abby walked in. "I'm sorry Gibbs, I've tried everything I know and I can't get any sort of set details about our guys from the restaurant video. All I can get is that they are all white males and range between 5'11' and 6'3'' tall." She kneeled on the floor and rested her head on Gibb's desk. "I feel so useless."

Gibbs reached over and placed his hand on hers. "Don't give up home yet Abbs. Stay positive, we'll find them. Alive."

Abby looked at Gibbs, then popped to her feet. "What can I do now?"

"Why don't you man the hotlines so McRyley can help Ziva."

Abby saluted. "Yes sir, Gibbs, sir!" Abby sat down and Tony's desk and pushed a few buttons on the desk phone.

Gibbs turned back to his computer as his own desk phone rang.

"Agent Gibbs."

"_Are you missing someone_?"

A rough voice echoed through the receiver. Gibbs snapped his fingers towards Ziva, catching her attention.

"_Someone is missing from your team. Actually, two someones_."

Ziva saw the look on Gibbs face and hung up on whoever she was talking to.

"What do you know about my missing agents?"

"_I know they are missing_-" Ziva connected her line to Gibbs. "-_and I know where they went_."

"So have you called to let me know? Or have you just called to boast?"

The voice chuckled "_I called to tell you to check your email. Your agents are in danger and have sent you a message. I think they would rather you see it sooner than later."_

_Click. _The line went dead.

"Abby, McRyley, Ziva, in the lab, now!"

Ziva stood and nearly sprinted to the elevator. Skyler and Abby followed more slowly, throwing glances at Gibbs. Gibbs picked up his phone again.

"Leon, we have a problem."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

The whole team plus Skyler and Vance sat in Abby's lab as Gibbs pulled up his email. He downloaded the single attachment and expanded it to full screen. A video file. Gibbs pushed play.

A single light illuminated a man dressed in black.

"Blind and silent."

The man spoke with the same rough voice that had echoed over Gibb's phone.

Three other lights faintly lit three people in chairs, sacks covering their heads.

"We live in a very cruel, twisted, society." The man walked over to the middle figure in a chair.

"In a nation built on so-called rights and fairness, the common people are being silenced." He pulled the sack off the middle figure and revealed a young woman. It took Gibbs a moment to realize it was Leah, the missing girl. Her blonde-brown hair was streaked with blood, one of her eyes was bruised and swollen, and she was gagged with a thick dark scarf of some sort.

"The weak, the innocent, the common are being taken advantage of by authority. In a fight between the innocent and the powerful, the powerful always win. Always."

The man pulled a sack off one of the end figures and revealed Tony, blindfolded. "Police, detectives, agents who are hired to protect the common people turn their heads and blind their eyes when innocent people get hurt at the hands of the powerful. They refuse to see what is right in front of their eyes."

He pointed a small black device at Leah, then looked at the camera. "When authority is injured, when the powerful are inconvenienced, it is the innocent who suffer."

The man pushed a small black button. Leah's body jerked and started convulsing. She thrashed against the cords that held her to her chair. Muffled screaming filled the room. The man pushed a second button and the thrashing stopped as abruptly as it began.

He walked over to Leah and stroked her wet and bloody face. She flinched at his touch. "Every day, every minute, every second, innocents suffer superfluous pain, and there is nothing anyone can do about it."

He straightened and moved to the third figure. "No longer will the innocent suffer alone." He removed the third sack removed and revealed Tim, eyes and mouth free, but with a fresh new cut and a dazed look in his eyes. Tim's head sagged; only his bounds kept him upright. His face supported several large and small bruises and a large and very obvious bump graced the side of his head.

Two more devices appeared out of the man's pocket. He moved away from the chairs. "Now authority with suffer as well. The powerful will not go unpunished. This is only the beginning." He pushed buttons on the devices. Tony and Tim started convulsing as electricity flowed through their bodies.

"You never know who might be next."

The video ended.


	12. Chapter 12: Dead Ends

**Chapter 12: Dead Ends**

A blank screen stared at the team, though no one could see it. Everyone was still watching the video in their minds.

Nobody could move.

Vance's cell phone rang, startling him out of his trance.

"Director Vance."

Ducky stumbled over to a chair and sat heavily down. Abby carefully sat on a table, hands over her mouth, eyes wide in shock. Ziva stood, stony and silent. Jimmy turned his back on the group, shoulders shaking. Gibbs carefully reached over and closed the email. He took a step back and took a few shallow breaths.

Vance shut his phone. "Gibbs."

"Yeah?"

"The Wyattsons are here."

"Okay."

"You need to be in my office to meet them eventually."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be there in a bit."

Vance left. Ducky leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. "What are we going to tell those people Jethro? What are we going to tell her parents?"

Gibbs looked at Ducky and then to the other members of his team; the tears in Abby's eyes, the cold fury in Ziva's face, Jimmy's suppressed sobs, Skyler's shock at repulsion. He wanted to sit down on the floor and bury his own face in his hands.

_I can't do that though. I can't show weakness, not now. McGee and Tony need us now more than ever. Time to rally the troops and get to work._

"We… are going to tell them the truth."

"What?" exclaimed Abby.

"Hiding the truth won't change it."

"But Gibbs," said Abby. "How can we show them the… torture Leah is going through?"

"They need to know. If- when we bring her back she is going to have… problems, just like any kidnapping victim. Her family needs to be prepared."

Jimmy spoke up. "They won't appreciate us hiding the truth from them."

Ziva nodded her head in agreement.

"Let's get to work then." Gibbs walked out of the lab. Ziva and Skyler followed behind. Ducky stood up slowly, feeling ten years older than he had less than five minutes ago, and patted Abby on the back.

"Have hope my dear. At least we know they are alive."

"But hurting."

"True, but dwelling on what we cannot change will not fix anything. We need to focus on what actions we can take here." Abby didn't look convinced. "They all have each other to lean on, to talk to. None of them are alone, and Tim and Tony will know we are looking for them."

Abby embraced Ducky. "I'm scared Ducky. Actually, more like terrified, like I'm going to go insane from worry and spontaneous implode."

"I know my dear. We all feel that way."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"Yeah. Okay. You had better hope so. Well of course. Goodbye."

Ziva hung up the phone. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, clenching and unclenching her hands.

"Who was that?" asked Skyler.

BANG! Ziva slammed her fist into her desk. Gibbs looked up from his own desk.

"THAT!" said Ziva with venom "was the Rochester police. Some newbie watching our van saw it drive away from the house they were watching and panicked. He tried to pull the van over and started a high speed chase." Ziva took several more deep breaths, attempting to calm her voice. "The van crashed into a tree going over 70 miles per hour. The driver is now in a coma and the van is in pieces."

Gibbs slouched back in his chair and sighed in anger and disappointment.

"We're back to square one," said Skyler, rubbing his eyes.

"No, this is _worse_ than square one!" said Ziva. "At square one we had a crime scene, a trail, and a license plate number. Now we have nothing. The case has gone cold."

Vance chose that exact moment to walk from the elevator to his office above their heads. He was accompanied by the very people Gibbs dreaded meeting in person even more.

Gibbs watched them and analyzed what he saw in them. Mr. Wyattson was a tall man who looked about 6'4'' and very solid. Mrs. Wyattson was shorter, about 5'9'', but looked like an older sister to the driver's license picture he had seen of Leah. The third person was a tall, skinny young adult even taller than Mr. Wyattson. _Probably one of their sons._ Gibbs watched them enter Vance's office. Vance followed behind them, shooting a look down to Gibbs that clearly said 'Get up here'. Gibbs stood up and headed up, dread growing with every single step. In the office…

"Agent Gibbs, this is Jacob and Leanne Wyattson, Leah's parents, and this is her oldest brother Luke."

Gibbs looked at the three individuals, noticing the definite family resemblances. He shook hands with all three. Leanne held his hand longer and looked Gibbs in the eye.

"Any news on Leah?"


	13. Chapter 13: Cold

**Chapter 13: Cold**

The trail was cold. The man in the van died of his injuries two days after the high speed chase. The van was completely totaled and had to be hauled to evidence in pieces.

With every day Gibbs had to tell the Wyattsons the bad news, he saw their despair and grief deepen. The oldest son Luke stopped coming to NCIS after losing his temper at Gibbs.

"Why can't you find her? Isn't it your job to find and protect people? Aren't you paid by the government to protect innocents? Is the guy in the video right?"

He had come back the next day and apologized to the team, but the accusation hung in the air like a heavy blanket. Tony's and Tim's absence just added to the layers of guilt, regret, and fear, darkening the mood and shortening conversations to stiff, sharp remarks.

All other federal agencies and local police were warned of a man targeting authorities, yet that didn't bring back their missing friends. The threat had hit NCIS first with no warning.

Ziva drove home one day and collapsed on her couch. She checked her voice messages for the first time in four days. An old message from Tony was still on the machine, asking if she wanted to go out for a drink. Ziva remembered letting the call go to voice mail because she was angry at Tony for breaking her computer keyboard with a stapler and she didn't want to deal with his form of apology.

Tony's voice, apologetic yet still flirty, filled the still air in Ziva's apartment. Something stabbed at her heart, cracking the hard shell she had built around her emotions.

Ziva fell to her knees next to the answering machine and wept.


	14. Chapter 14: Perhaps an Answer or a Plan

**Chapter 14: Perhaps an Answer or a Plan**

Voices woke Tim from his foggy half-sleep. The room swam before his eyes, so he closed them once more. The clinking of chains reminded him that he was chained to on the iron rings on the wall and that movement would only ruin his position. The chains were just short enough that he couldn't quite sit on the floor. A kneeling position with his hands suspended above his head had allowed enough relaxation that he could rest without falling over and strangling himself on the thin chain around his neck. The other two chains on his wrists were much thicker than the one around his neck.

Tim looked over at Tony and Leah, both chained like him, to iron rings with short chains that prevented a lot of movement. Poor Leah wasn't tall enough to kneel on the ground so she had to stay standing or choke to death on the thin chain around her neck. Tony could kneel, but it pulled on his wrists and caused the chain to be uncomfortably tight on his neck, so he usually stayed standing.

_I would stand if I could see straight,_ though Tim. Several untreated head wounds, electrical chairs, and a baseball bat had given Tim several minor concussions over the past few days and a slight fever had developed overnight. The room rarely stopped spinning, and Tim had to close his eyes to avoid throwing up. He had thrown-up on Mike the previous day and received a pair of black eyes for his efforts.

The past few days had not been kind to any of them.

Raised voices caught Tim's attention once more. The door to their cell had been left ajar.

"Are you trying to back out Zach? Getting squeamish?"

"No Dan."

"Then what's the problem? You think kidnapping female cops is any different than male cops? You only like to beat up guys?"

A muttered response.

"Did you think any of this would be easy? Kidnapping federal agents, FBI personals, and military officials is not a walk in the park."

"But we were supposed-"

"To start small, I know, fate intervened and handed us a pair of NCIS agents. Why start small when you can start big? It has scared all other high-and-mighty agencies into their holes, just like we wanted."

Zach said nothing.

"Eventually they will lower their guard, and then we will strike again." Dan's voice grew excited as he continued speaking. "Then others will see our success and will join us. Once we get more supporters our work will go faster until we have authority under submission." His voice grew soft and dark. "Then they will see how we can make them suffer, just like us."

Zach mumbled something incoherent.

"You know our goal Zach. Don't you forget it."

Footsteps retreated up the stairs. A voice mumbled a few more low words. A second set of footsteps followed the first.

"McGee."

Tim opened his eyes and looked over at Tony. "Yeah?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Mostly."

"What do you think?"

Tim paused and carefully stood up, fighting the dizziness and nausea. "I think we need to think of a way out."

"You think the team-"

"I don't think enough evidence was left behind by these guys for us to be found. Who knows where we are."

"Agreed." Tony shifted slightly, stretching his aching neck. "Got any bright ideas?"

"No."

"Me neither."

"I do."

Tony and Tim looked at Leah.

"And?"

"Well, it sounds like Zach doesn't like hurting girls. If I could play on his feelings, he might turn on Dan."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"Scream, cry, whine, beg for mercy, other dramatic stuff."

"That sounds risky," said Tony. "What if Dan just gets impatient and… silences you."

"I'll stop before it gets to that point. I can read people easily enough that I will stop before he gets to impatient. Besides, I think Dan-" Leah stopped mid-sentence.

"Enjoys it?" finished Tim.

"Yeah. He certainly looks like he enjoys when I scream in that stupid chair."

"I don't know, this sounds-"

"You said you don't have any other ideas. Dan and company haven't asked for money, information, or anything. He just… hurts… and it's not like he is inflicting any permanent damage."

"I think he's trying to knock McGee's brains out."

"Well, besides that, he just beats us up, electrocutes us in those chairs, and doesn't feed us. I don't want to wait around for what he has in mind later."

Tim looked at Tony. "She has a point."

"I just don't want-"

"Me to get hurt? A little late for that Tony."

Tony sighed. "Fine, but please don't try and get yourself killed."

"Trust me Tony. I want to live."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Ziva walked into Autopsy. Ducky was actually sitting down for once, working at his computer.

"Ducky…"

"Oh hello Ziva. How may I be of service to you?"

"I was wondering if I could… jump ideas off you."

"I believe the phrase is 'bouncing ideas' off someone, but of course you can."

Ziva pulled a chair over at sat down.

"I-" Ziva stopped and cleared her throat, unsure of how to ask her question. Ducky waited patiently, recognizing her needs.

"I've been trained to recognize intentions and motives in terrorists and others, but…"

"You're having trouble analyzing the motives of Anthony's, Tim's, and Leah's kidnappers?"

Ziva nodded.

"Have you talked to Gibbs at all?"

"A little, but he's too focused on finding them to think about why. McRyley and Director Vance are the same way. And then Abby…"

"I understand Ziva," said Ducky. He planted his feet on the floor and placed his fingertips together. He stared at nothing for a few moments. Ziva sat back in her chair, mind racing with uncertainty and doubt.

"I have also been thinking of our kidnappers and I've come to several different conclusions. Not necessarily about why they kidnapped Tim, Tony, and Leah, but perhaps some less obvious reasons."

Ziva sat patiently as Ducky thought for a few more moments.

"First, our illicit men, or at least the leader, obviously has some sort of grudge against authority of any kind as well as hard feelings towards any individuals with power or money. It consumes him with anger and appears to be the base motivation for his actions."

"That doesn't explain _why_ he has a grudge."

Ducky looked sad. "We may never know that Ziva."

Ziva fell silent once more.

"However, for all his claims at making authority answer to his personal versions of justice, he is not above hurting innocents to make his point. He has allowed his overwhelming desire for revenge to overshadow his humane or logical thinking. This illogical thinking is also apparent in the sense that he essentially warned us that he would be targeting federal officials again. Unless he's lying."

"But why would he make that sort of statement unless he intended to go through with this threat?"

"To preoccupy us, to scare us into hiding, or to cause us to think irrationally and miss what is right in front of our eyes."

Ziva face was stony. She stood up and walked silently towards the door.

"Ziva."

She turned back at Ducky's call. He was still sitting but his look make Ziva feel like he was peering directly into her heart and mind, reading her thoughts and emotions.

"Beware of revenge my dear. Allowing anger to consume our minds creates irrational thoughts and compulsive actions, as if we were intoxicated. Revenge has driven those men to hurt our friends. Don't allow that to happen to you. Don't allow your feelings to cause you to act in a way that lowers yourself to criminal standards."

Ziva said nothing and walked out. Ducky turned back to his computer and stared blindly at the screen.

"What have we allowed this to turn us into I wonder. If we never find them, will we fall to pieces or rise above our hatred? If we do find them, will we have enough compassion in our hearts to forgive and forget those who have hurt us, or will our anger cause us to give up all our standards and become like the very monsters we are hunting? Will we be strong enough to withstand the outcome?"


	15. Chapter 15: Will they be Home for

**A/N: **An email I received from my younger brother inspired this chapter.

**Chapter 15: Will They be Home For Christmas?**

A child sat at Ziva's desk when she returned. He had pulled the swivel chair out from behind the desk and was spinning in circles, giggling occasionally with the voice of a child. Ziva stopped and watched for a few minutes. A portion of the rage and hate drained away as she watched the boy. A second child (_a twin, they look identical_) appeared from underneath Tony's desk.

"My turn! You said after ten minutes I could have a turn."

"It's only been eight minutes."

"No, at least ten, get off!"

Ziva saw an argument brewing and walked over. Both boys stopped talking as she approached and looked at her guiltily. Ziva smiled.

"Hello there. What are you boys doing here?"

The one in the chair spoke first. "Waiting for Mom and Dad to get out of the meeting with the policemen. We aren't old enough to listen."

"Which policemen?"

"Two policemen named Director Vance and Agent Jibbs."

"No, it was Agent Gibbs."

"But I thought-"

"Okay," said Ziva. She could feel another argument coming on and didn't feel like dictating. "Are you two here alone?"

"No, our big brother Luke is here to. He's going to the bathroom."

"Ah, I see. May I have my chair back? I need to do some work."

"Okay." The boy jumped off and pushed the chair back to her desk. He turned and smiled at Ziva, proud of his thoughtfulness. The other boy looked sulky at his lost opportunity.

Ziva looked at the two boys and spontaneously pulled Gibb's and Tony's chairs from behind their desks. "If you are careful you can both use these."

"Thanks!" both boys said in unison. They each grabbed a chair and proceeded to spin in circles, giggling in their young innocent voices.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Trent."

"And I'm Tyson."

"We're twins!" they said in unison again.

"Yes, I can see that. My name is Agent David."

"David?"

"Yes, Da-veed."

"Cool! Daaa-veeeed" the one named Trent dragged the vowels in her name out.

Ziva chuckled. Tyson stopped spinning and looked at Ziva. "We're the youngest in our family. Luke is our oldest brother and Leah is our only sister." He looked at Ziva with a serious expression. "Are you a policeman to?"

"Well yes, sort of."

"Are you helping find our sister?"

A lump formed in Ziva's throat. The large-eyed expressions on Tyson's face made her heart ache.

"Yes I am."

Trent stopped spinning as well and looked at Ziva. "Will you find her soon? She's our only sister and we miss her a lot."

"We are… trying very hard to find her."

Trent stood up and walked over to Ziva's desk. "Luke doesn't think the police will find her. He said so to Mom and Dad when they thought we were asleep." He looked at Ziva and smiled. "But I think you will find her."

Ziva swallowed hard. "We will try very, very hard to find her. I… I promise."

"Good."

Tyson stood up and walked over to Ziva's desk, standing next to Trent. He looked at the calendar behind her desk, then back at her. "We wrote to Santa a while ago about the toys we wanted for Christmas. Then those bad men took Leah away. Yesterday we wrote new letters saying we just want our sister back for Christmas. Mom said Santa can't control those evil guys."

The lump was back. Ziva swallowed. "She's right. We can't control other people's actions."

Trent piped up. "But Mom did say that if we prayed for Leah a lot then God would watch over her, even if she can't come home for Christmas." He smiled at Ziva. "We are praying for the missing policemen to. We want them to be home for Christmas as well."

Ziva could feel her eyes fill with tears. _How can someone so young say something so…meaningful? _ Ziva took a deep breath and smiled at the twins. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I'm sure Santa will get your letter in time."

"I hope so." Both started to move back towards the chairs, then Tyson turned back to Ziva.

"Is there any way I can help at all?"

"You've already helped a lot Tyson."

"Really? How-"

"Tyson, Trent."

Luke walked over to the bullpen. Trent pushed his swivel chair away from himself and ran over to Luke.

"Hey Luke, can I have a piggy-back ride now?"

Luke looked down at Trent. "Not now buddy. I told you I would give you one in the parking lot."

"Pleeeeease!" Trent begged with large, puppy-dog eyes. Luke smiled and tickled Trent's face. "Later, I promise."

Tyson scurried over to Luke. "Hey Luke, want a ride in the swivel chair? It's fun! We could spin you really, REALLY fast!"

Ziva watched Luke expertly detach himself from his sibling's enthusiastic pleading and distracted them with a hand held gaming device from a small bag. He sat them next to each other on the floor, leaning against Tim's desk. He walked over to Ziva's desk and looked down at her, hands in his pockets.

"I hope they weren't bugging you."

"No, not at all. They are very cute kids."

"I know." He looked at the twins. "They are very hard to resist, even as they get older."

"How old are they?"

"Nine."

They both fell silent for a moment. Ziva shifted her gaze between Luke, Tyson, and Trent, evaluating.

"Do you really believe we won't be able to save your sister?"

Luke stiffened, then took a deep breath.

"Trent seems to think you feel that way."

Luke looked at Ziva angrily. "My heart tells me we have to find her, that she will be found. My head says not to get my hopes up. My family has lost people already, and I don't want to reopen those wounds. Or at least… not as much as before if I can help it."

Luke crossed his arms and leaned as if to walk away.

"Your lack of faith will hurt your younger siblings if it goes too far. They will think you don't care about her."

He hesitated then walked over next to his youngest siblings and sat down next to them. Ziva watched the threesome for a moment then turned back to her computer. She ran through all the usual reports and messages in her email, not really reading anything. Her eyes then fell to one particular email, with an unfamiliar address and subject. She opened the email, then grabbed her phone and typed a number.

"Gibbs, I got another one!"

"Another one what?"

"Another email!"


	16. Chapter 16: I Promise

**A/N:** Holy cow, sorry it took so long to post again! It's been a crazy month.

**Chapter 16: I Promise**

Leah didn't get a chance to put her plan into action. Dan, the leader, burst in a few hours later. Leah opened her mouth as if to speak, but Dan walked over and slapped her hard across the face. He unlocked her from the wall and dragged her out. Zach and Mike walked in and unlocked Tony and Tim, one at a time and followed Dan out the door. Both noticed the video camera was set up again, but the electric chairs were missing. Leah was sitting in a regular chair, blinded and gagged again, but not tied. Tim looked at Dan.

"What-" Tim had barely said a word when Zach threw a punch into his stomach. Tim doubled over, gasping for air.

"You won't speak unless told to do so," said Dan. He looked at Tony and sneered. "Got that?"

Tony nodded.

"Good boy." He looked over to Zach and Mike. "Let's get started."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

The team gathered in Abby's lab once more, accompanied by Jacob and Luke. Leanne stayed upstairs to watch and entertain Trent and Tyson. The twins could tell something important was going on and were miffed to be excluded. It took a soft but very firm statement from Jacob to stop their begging.

As Ziva was loading the video, Ducky looked around.

"Where are the director and Skyler?"

"Busy processing the mess made by the New York police," said Gibbs.

"Got it," said Ziva.

The video started up. The same dark room appeared on the screen. A single light flashed on, silhouetting Leah in a chair. A second light clicked on, showing Tony and Tim. Both were standing, side by side, with their eyes and mouths free, but with their hands tied in front of them. Shadows shifted at the very edges of the camera's view, ominous guards waiting for commands.

A third shadow detached itself from the back of the room and moved in front of Leah, but still behind Tony and Tim. He carried a long wooden baseball bat.

"It is almost the end for your agents."

Ziva looked at Gibbs. He nodded, indicating that this was the same voice from the phone call and the previous video.

"Like the cowards you are, the powerful have scampered to their holes and hidden their faces from danger." The man started pacing back and forth, slowly swinging the bat. "Just like I expected, when threatened by mysterious and ever-present danger, the authorities up top cower in their buildings, cower in their protected walls, happy to let the locals take up the brunt of the force. They will leave the pawns behind."

He stopped behind Tim and swung the bat in a deadly arc, clobbering Tim in the back of the head. Tim let out a strangled grunt and fell to the floor. A second swing nailed Tim square in the back. Tim's body arched and twitched in pain while a scream filled the room. A third swing connected with Tim's skull once more and he went still. Tim's eyes remained slightly open, his gaze empty.

Abby, who had cried out at the first swing, whimpered in pain and turned away from the screen. Gibbs, who was standing closest, took Abby in his arms as she started to softly cry. Ziva stood ramrod straight, eyes never moving from the video screen. Her face was ashen, resembling stone. Ducky carefully moved to a chair and sat down, assisted slightly by Jimmy, who had tears in his eyes as well. Jacob and Luke stood at the back of the group, silent. Luke's hands were shaking so bad he had grabbed a table to support himself.

One of the shadows moved over and took Tim by the legs. He dragged him to the right, out of view. A small red trail was left behind.

The man smiled at the camera. "It is too late for the pawns here. Too late for your friends." He changed his grip on the bat and swung at Tony. The bat connected with his left leg right above the knee. A sharp crack rang out and Tony fell to the floor with a cry.

Ziva's body shook with the sound of the crack. She stumbled backwards and ran into the table Luke was gripping like his life depended on it.

"Warn your friends, the pawns who are still free, and say goodbye to these ones here. They won't be coming back to you alive. You can expect to find them again, but only when I am done with them. Warn your co-workers. They could be here next." The man looked down at Tony. "Any last goodbye's loser?"

Tony lay on the floor with his eyes screwed shut in pain. Tears slipped down his face and landed soundlessly on the floor. He managed to open his eyes enough to glare at his captor.

"Too bad." The second shadow grabbed Tony's bound hands and dragged him to the left off screen. Tony let out a strangled scream as his broken leg moved across the floor. The man reached behind him and grabbed Leah from the chair. He ripped the blindfold and the gag off and thrust her closer to the camera.

"How about you sweetheart? Going to say goodbye to those souls about to lose a daughter, thanks to the actions of the authorities." His voice was full of scorn and mockery.

Leah stood up straight and looked at the camera. Her face showed signs of half-healed bruises and was slightly swollen on the left side, but her eyes were clear and determined. She smiled at the camera, transforming her face from one full of pain to one full of love and appreciation for the people she couldn't see nor hear, but could see and hear her.

"See you all soon. I promise to not give up."

The man paused, shocked. His face twisted in anger and he swung the bat. It connected with Leah's left shoulder. Leah screamed in pain and fell to her knees. He swung a second time and hit her left arm. She screamed a blood-curdling scream for a second time. The man threw the bat aside and swung his foot towards her face. Leah saw the kick coming in time to start moving, but was grazed and knocked to the floor. She cradled her injured arm and sobbed quietly, head turned towards the floor.

The man looked back to the camera. "Run and hide. You could be next." He turned back to Leah and proceeded to beat her with his bare hands. One of the shadows shifted towards the camera. A large hand moved over the screen and the video ended.


	17. Chapter 17: We Promise

**Chapter 17: We Promise**

Abby turned away from the dark screen and started sobbing loudly into Gibbs shoulder. Gibbs could hardly keep his arms around Abby. His anger had been overwhelmed with sorrow and hopelessness. Time had stopped.

Ziva slowly slid to the floor and tucked her knees to her chest. She hid her face from the room. Jimmy sank onto a chair next to Ducky and stared at nothing.

Nobody said anything. All were lost in their thoughts. The building could have been collapsing around them and nobody would have noticed.

Gibbs looked over towards the doorway where Jacob and Luke were standing. A flutter of surprise flared in his mind; Luke was gone. Jacob was leaning on the doorframe, tears streaming freely down his face.

"Where-" Gibbs voice cracked. "Where's Luke?"

Jacob looked at Gibbs. "He left when… when Leah… when they…" He stuttered to a stop and walked abruptly out of the room. Something in the back of Gibb's mind clicked into gear and he found himself gently taking Abby over to Ducky. Ducky stood, took Abby into his arms, and nodded to Gibbs.

Out in the hall, Gibbs found Jacob leaning on the elevator door, shaking violently with suppressed sobs. Gibbs stopped and opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

"Why Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs walked over slowly and put a hand on the sobbing, broken man he saw before him. "I..don't know."

"Neither do I." Jacob turned and sank to the floor and leaned his head on the elevator door. He closed his eyes as Gibbs joined him.

"I asked myself that the entire flight here from Colorado. I haven't stopped asking myself for a week. I don't think a waking second of my day doesn't go by that I don't wonder where my little girl is and why she was taken." A strained chuckle escaped. "Even my dreams… my nightmares are plagued by this. When I can sleep that is. I haven't slept for more than a few hours in the past few days."

"Neither have I."

"I don't doubt it. Your entire team looks ready to collapse any minute."

The elevator rang. Jacob sat up and looked to see Leanne and Luke emerge with Tyson and Trent in tow. Jacob stood and embraced his wife.

Both started to cry.

Luke stood back holding the twins' hands. The two twins looked between all the adults, fear and sadness in their young faces.

Leanne broke away from broke away for Jacob and turned to Gibbs. "Our daughter is hurt and… may have passed on, but that doesn't mean we have given up hope. We-" she stopped and swallowed. "We have not given up on your team, on Leah, or on Agent DiNozzo and Agent McGee."

Gibbs looked her in the eye. He could see the sorrow and fear, but he could see the raw determination and the trust she had in him. A faint spark of hope flared in his chest. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked between the Wyattson members.

"We haven't given up yet. We will continue foreword until… something can be found. I… know what it is like to lose a daughter."

"Yes, I think you do Agent Gibbs," said Leanne. "I can see it in you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And it is because of that that I know you won't give up until you bring them all home."

"None of us will stop." Ziva walked out and spoke strongly. She had tears in her eyes but stood proudly. "We will not stop. We will find them, even if it takes years. I swear to you I will not stop looking until… until we bring them home." _Dead or alive. I have a promise to keep._

"The same applies to us," said Ducky. He Jimmy and Abby all walked out together. Ducky spoke with his calm and collected voice, strained only the slightest. "We will bring them all home. I give you my solemn promise."

"As do I," said Jimmy.

"And mine!" said Abby. She smiled through her tear and mascara stained face. "We will make them regret every messing with our families."

Trent and Tyson both started eagerly talking, not entirely understanding the circumstances, but aware of the growing determination and conviction within the room. Both clamored with ideas on how they could help. Gibbs crouched down to their eye level and laid a hand on each of their shoulders.

"You can help us best by listening to your parents, and not giving up hope. Okay?"

"Yes sir!"

"Yes Mr. Gibbs!"

Gibbs smiled and straightened up. He made eye contact with Luke.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Then I guess I can't ask for more than that," he said.

Gibbs nodded his acknowledgment and looked at his team. The sorrow was there, the stress was there, the urgency was there. But over it all sat a fire, a determination that could not be put out. An acceptance of what they might find was prominent, but an eternal hope was stronger.

"Let's get to work everyone. We have family to bring home."


	18. Chapter 18: When All Seems Dark

**Chapter 18: When All Seems Dark**

Tim, Tony, and Leah could have benefitted from the determination of their friends and family. They were all in a bad way.

Dan dumped Leah in a heap on the floor. He was breathing heavily and was red in the face, as if he had just run a marathon. Leah lay silent, unmoving. He looked at his watch, realized how much time he had spent beating Leah up, and snorted in disgust.

"Get them out of my sight." He walked away, kicking Tim and Tony both on the way. Tony grunted slightly at the contact. Neither a sound nor a movement came from Tim. Dan looked at Tim and nudged him with his foot.

No response.

"Put this one in the box. He's gone enough as it is." Dan turned abruptly around and retreated upstairs.

Zach and Mike moved from their places at the corners of the room. Zach grabbed Tim by the jacket and dragged him into the second room of the basement. A faint trail of red followed them.

Mike approached Tony. He grabbed Tony under the arms and dragged him back into the room that had been their cell for the past week. Tony grit his teeth and breathed heavily through his nose, containing the screams of pain. Aches and pain from events of the night were pale in comparison to the grating, agonizing, white-hot pain arching up and down his left leg and side. Mike dragged Tony to the far wall and chained his arms above his head. He was about to force Tony to his feet to shorten the chain, but hesitated. He stared at Tony, taking in the cuts, bruises, scrapes, and misshaped leg. Tony locked eyes with Mike for a moment, then sighed in relief when Mike walked out without forcing him to stand.

A few moments later Mike walked with Leah. He cradled her carefully in his arms, holding her like a child. He moved over next to Tony and kneeled carefully.

Leah's eyes fluttered open.

Mike slowly lowered Leah to the floor, supporting her head with his arm. As her shoulder touched the ground, Leah let out a small cry of pain. Mike froze and adjusted, then laid her carefully on her back on the floor. For a moment he left his hand on the side of her head, looking at her face.

Leah's eyes opened once more and they stared at one another. Her light blue eyes stared into his dark brown. Time moved forward, but neither set of eyes moved. Tony watched the exchange and wondered if some sort of silent conversation was going on. It was if they were speaking to each other, mind to mind, discussing the current situation. Tony would nearly swear that he saw tears in Mike's eyes.

Mike abruptly broke eye contact and stood up. He glanced at the chains meant for Leah and dismissed them with a turn of the head. He slowly began to walk out of the room.

"T-t-thank yo-ou." A shaky voice whispered.

Mike visibly stiffened, then he walked quickly out of the room and shut the door with a snap. The locks were all engaged rapidly.

Tony stared at the door for a moment, braced himself, then carefully adjusted his position so he could face Leah. His entire left side of his body was numb from pain.

Her condition ripped at his heart. Her face was discolored and swollen, her scalp had several visible bumps through her bloody and sweaty hair. Her left shoulder and arm were both swollen and her shoulder had a slightly oozing cut. Tony couldn't remember how long Dan had beaten Leah, even after his persistent begging and pleading for Dan to stop and hurt him instead. _How much more damage could be under the surface?_ It made Tony sick to his stomach.

"Leah."

"What?" A shaky whisper came from the lifeless looking body.

"Silly question. Are you okay?"

"I've been bet-t-ter."

"Can you sit up?"

"I d-don't think so."

"Could you move over closer so I can… take a closer look at your head? I would do the moving, but I'm kind of stuck as it is."

"Give me a sec-cond."

Tony sat silently, watching. Leah laid still for a few more minutes than stirred. She tried to maneuver her herself over closer to Tony but was hampered by her broken shoulder. She started to sit up but had barely made it halfway when she gasped and fell on her back once more, clutching her stomach. Tony watched helpless as Leah struggled for air. Her already shallow breathing became fast and irregular.

"Leah, you need to slow your breathing. Breath from your chest, not your stomach, like when you sing."

Leah nodded ever so carefully and slowed her breathing. Tony watched as the minutes ticked by. The blue color faded from Leah's lips as her breathing eased and became deeper.

"Okay, now try to sit up again. Do it carefully and that should help your breathing."

Leah looked at Tony and made a face. "You kno-ow. I-I think I'll st-st-ay right here."

"Come on Leah, don't give me that. Someone needs to check out that noggin' , and your's truly is all that is available."

Leah mumbled under her breath and sat up. It took a full ten minutes of constant adjusting and pauses to switch from a laying position to a sitting one. When Leah finally was able to lean carefully against the wall she looked over at Tony and made the same face.

"Happy?"

Tony smiled. "Very."

"Ready to examine my skull?"

"Dr. DiNozzo at your service."

Tony started mentally analyzing Leah's head injuries. It was well into the night but a full moon allowed enough light for a rough estimate of sorts. He wondered about how much internal bleeding might be happening and if Leah's brain was damaged at all. A concussion was evident, but to what level and what extent? The lack of light made it hard to see just how badly Leah's wounds were.

"Okay, last one. Move the hair on the back of your head up and to the left… the other left."

"Your left or my left?"

"Mine."

Leah complied. Tony looked at the swollen lumpy cut on her head and winced.

"Well?"

"You have three cuts, two goose eggs, a dozen or so bruises, a concussion, and probably a raging headache."

"Ouch."

"No kidding. Your… arm and collarbone are probably broken as well."

"Yo-o-ou don't say?" said Leah. Her voice was still shaky but had a hint of sarcasm. She looked over at Tony and smiled a little bit. "My dad would say 'your arm hurts? Well we'd better cut it off then'."

Tony laughed. "That seems a little dramatic."

"Me and my siblings like to say 'Your arm hurts? Should I break your foot and make that hurt instead?'"

Tony and Leah both burst out laughing. Leah's eyes filled with tears, but she continued to laugh in a rare moment of absurdity.

The laughter died as abruptly as it began and the two fell silent. Both individual's thoughts drifted towards their friend in the other room.

"Tony, do you th-think Tim is…"

Tony said nothing.

"I mean, he d-didn't look h-hur-t much, but he n-n-never woke up while were were…around and… if he was int-ternally bleeding or… if his neck was…"

"I don't know. I… I'm not even sure if there is reason to hope."

Leah looked at Tony. He thought about what he had just said. "What I mean is.. I think we can hope, but we… need to be prepared for the chance that McGee might… might not…"

"I get it."

Silence. Tony felt the laughter from before seep out of the room. He thought of all the teasing he had brought upon Tim, all of the jokes, the years of ribbing and grief. _McGee's my probie, my comrade in arms, my…friend. He's like the brother I never had. If he's gone can I-_ Tony couldn't continue that thought. _It was hard enough with Kate and Jenny. Will we lose another? _Tony rolled his eyes at himself. _Face it Tony, you are probably not going to make it out of here yourself. _He looked at Leah. _What will happen to her? To her family? What about Dad? I wonder how he will react to the news. What will Gibbs, Abby, Ziva, Ducky, and Jimmy do? I wonder what they will say at the funerals. I wonder if we will ever actually be found. Abby will be crushed, especially with McGee's… they've always been so close._

Tony's brain registered a mumbling noise. He looked over at Leah.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing."

"No really, what did you say. I didn't hear."

" 'The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances.' Martha Washington. It's something my dad used to say to me whenever I started thinking about…"

Tony saw something flash through Leah's eyes, some kind of old hurt.

"My dad used to say that while we experience hard times, no matter our circumstances we will always be able to choose how we feel. Nobody can make us feel angry. It is entirely our choice." Leah paused. Tony noticed her voice was no longer shaky. She sounded weak, but steady.

"I will hope. For Tim. I will believe he is alive until proof tells me otherwise. It would be unfair to Tim to give up on him when he may be fighting for his life. There is always hope, no matter how the odds are stacked against you." Leah's words seemed to fill the room with warmth. The previous cold, melancholy feeling was lifted.

A shaft of sunlight fell across the floor. Tony and Leah watched the sun rise through the large crack in the board over the window. The sunlight moved across Leah's foot, illuminating her scuffed, dirty, bloody sock and shoe. "It's a new day Tony. Though our circumstances are grim at best, we can still choose who to be, how to feel. I refuse to let some wacko influence me into doing something I will regret later, in this life or the next."

Tony's mind shifted. "Carpe diem."

"Seize the day."

"My hands a little preoccupied to seize the day."

"I'll seize it for you then." Leah mimed grabbing something in the air. "I will seize the day and throttle it for you."

A gunshot split the air.


	19. Chapter 19: While You Were Sleeping

**Chapter 19: While You Were Sleeping**

Night came and went. Nobody went home. Around midnight Luke and Leanne took the twins home, both of which had fallen asleep on Tony's desk. Jacob was asleep in an empty cubicle nearby, snoring lightly. Abby slept in her lab cradling Bert while sitting at her computer. Jimmy slept at his desk in Autopsy, covered in a blanket placed on him by Ducky, who was also asleep in a softer chair. Ziva and Skyler snored in unison at their desks, both having fallen asleep around 2 am. Only Gibbs was awake to watch the sun rise.

He stood at the window, sipping a fresh cup of cheap coffee from the break room. As the sun peaked over the horizon he looked at the bullpen's sleeping occupants. He noticed Ziva was snoring louder than she had been a few hours earlier and that Skyler was drooling on Tim's desk. The sound of a softly closed door caught Gibbs' attention. He looked up and saw Vance walk out of his office, rumpled shirt and a cup of coffee in his own hand. Vance looked down and beckoned. The two met at the top of the staircase.

"Is the whole team out?"

"Yep. All except us."

"Good."

The two stood in silence and watched the sunlight move across the office. Nobody stirred. The various holiday lights throughout the office flickered off as the sun rose steadily higher in the sky. A watch somewhere beeped, signaling the hour. Gibbs looked at his own watch. 8 am and everyone was still sleeping.

"They need it," said Gibbs.

"We all need it."

"I won't be able to sleep for a while yet."

Vance saw the shadows of the past in Gibbs' face and didn't press the subject.

Vance's cell phone rang out, breaking the silence. Ziva sat up with a start. Her hand flew to her gun, to her phone, to her desk phone, then back to her gun. When she realized the sound was coming from above her head, she looked up and saw Vance and Gibbs watching. She flushed in embarrassment and turned back to her computer. Skyler also woke with a start. He looked around looked down at the puddle of drool on the desk. He wiped it away and glanced around, hoping nobody had seen.

Jacob continued to snore.

Vance finished talking on his phone and looked down. "Looks like the workday has started."

"Guess so," said Gibbs. He stretched a little and looked toward the elevator. "I'd better go and check on Abby, Ducky, and Palmer; see if they are awake."

Gibbs headed for the elevator, Vance for his office. Below Ziva was trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. She blinked hard at her computer and struggled to focus. The words spun and blurred as her eyes protested such abuse.

"Here." A hand belonging to Skyler held out a cup of coffee. "Not the best stuff, but freshly made in the break room."

"Thanks." Ziva drank deeply from the cup. Skyler went back to his own temporary desk and the two of them buckled down and picked up where they left off the night before.

Gibbs walked out of the elevator followed by a sleepy-eyed Abby. She stumbled to the break room, muttering something about caffeine and sugar. The mood was subdued enough that nobody reacted when Gibbs' phone rang. He walked over to it and picked it up.

"Agent Gibbs?"

Jacob woke from his sleep and sat up, groaning like an older man.

"What?"

The tone of Gibbs' voice caught everyone's attention. Gibbs stared into empty space, listening intently.

"When? How? This morning?... Okay…. How long do we have… Where?" Gibbs pulled out a notebook and pen. He scribbled a few lines of notes. "Four or five hours? We're in D.C., it will take that long to… Okay… No hold him, get a statement or something and we will be there as soon as… he refuses? What is he… oh… Got it. We're on our way." Gibbs slammed his phone down and sprinted to the stairs. "Get everyone up here now!"

Ziva sprinted for the elevator to get Ducky and Jimmy.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

In record time everyone was in Vance's office.

"I just got a call from Rochester city police. A man drove into the city to the police station early this morning with a body in his trunk and claimed to be responsible for kidnapping two federal agents and a young woman in Washington DC last week.

The room was silent.

"He wouldn't give any other details, just said he was turning himself in and wanted to confess to NCIS in D.C., specifically to the boss of the special agents he helped abduct.

"Where is he now?" asked Vance.

"Rochester's FBI division is holding him. They called me and said that he said we have ten hours before his leader discovers he is missing. After those ten hours he might kill someone else.

"Someone else?" squeaked Abby.

"Apparently his leader is responsible for the dead body in this guy's trunk."

"So what do we do? To drive to Rochester would take almost the full ten hours!" said Jimmy.

"Even at Ziva's top speed," said Abby. "How will we get there in time?"

The room fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, searching for an answer.

"How long will it take to fly there?" asked Skyler.

Abby though back to the maps they had looked at when they were tracking the white van. "From Dulles? Um, maybe an hour."

"Could you all be ready to leave in about 75 minutes?"

The team looked at Skyler in surprise.

"I have a buddy who flies small personal planes and jets. He invites me to fly with him all the time. His plane is here in D.C. and he likes to brag he can have the plane prepped and ready in less than 75 minutes, ready to take off. If we can get down there, if he's available, he can fly us to the Greater Rochester Airport."

The room stayed silent for a moment.

"Can we get the clearance? To take off and land out of schedule?" asked Ducky.

"My bud is pretty powerful in the aviation world. I'm sure he can manage it, and I can call in a few favors. I was a pilot once."

Gibbs looked at Vance. "Well?"

"Go, all of you. We'll all go. Get packed and meet at Dulles in 60 minutes. Let's move."

The team all sprinted out the door and flew through the offices.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

56 minutes and 20 seconds later, the last person ("I am not the speeding demons you all are!" said Ducky) arrived at Dulles. They all boarded the small jet and stowed their gear. The plane wasn't luxurious but it was nice enough to be out of the average person's budget. Skyler disappeared into the cockpit, Gibbs, and Vance made a few final phone calls, Jimmy helped Ducky stow the large autopsy bags they both secretly hoped they didn't have to use, and Ziva and Abby spoke softly in their seats.

Everyone was ready to go.

No one was sure what they were going to find.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Ziva, Skyler, Jimmy, Ducky, and Abby all stared through the glass at the large stocky man sitting at a small table in a small locked room. His head was turned towards his lap, his body was still. Every once in a while he looked at the wristwatch on his arm, but he made no other movements.

Ziva wondered if they'd let her… interrogate him. _Probably not. Not if they want him conscience so he can cooperate._

Ducky glanced at Ziva and saw the murderous look in her eyes. He placed a weathered hand on her shoulder. "It won't help Ziva. It won't erase the past."

"Might make me feel better."

"But it won't. Not in the long run. It won't help Anthony, Timothy, or young Leah either."

The conversation was cut short. Gibbs, Vance, and an FBI agent named Simmons walked into the small room.

Vance leaned on the two-way mirror. Simmons took a position by the door and Gibbs sat down. The man looked up at Gibbs. They stared at one another, as if trying to stare into each other's mind and see what there was to find. The silence lasted for almost a full two minutes.

"Are you Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs held his tongue for a moment. "Yeah."

"Prove it."

Gibbs pulled out his badge and held it up. "This is me, last I checked." Gibbs calmly put the badge away and resumed his piercing stare.

The man sighed and looked at his lap again. The silence resumed. Abby squirmed where she stood out of sight, impatient as always, and slightly aggravated. Ziva wasn't the only one planning a painful experience for the man sitting like a statue.

"So then…"

"Zach."

"So then Zach, apparently we have-" Gibbs consulted his watch. "7 hours and 47 minutes until someone dies. Care to share what you brought me all the way out here for?"

Zach looked up and opened his mouth, then closed it again. He hesitated and looked at the tabletop. "I'm not sure where to begin."

"At the beginning."

"Which beginning though?"

"Pick one."

"I don't-"

Gibbs slammed his fist onto the table. "I don't care you rotten, miserable piece of work. Just talk! Why are you here? Where are my agents?"

The noise made no apparent impact on Zach's demeanor. He continued to stare at nothing.

_What a sad, dejected, burdened person, _thought Jimmy.

Zach took a shallow breath and finally began speaking.

"My boss has gone off the deep end. What started as a worthwhile and wonderful goal has turned into a mad-man's plan."

Gibbs said nothing, took no notes. He just listened.

"We planned to kidnap a few local cops, throw them around a bit, and then dump them in some forgotten alley to be found the next morning. We'd keep this up for a while, scaring the cops, scaring the higher ranking officials, trying to take those further up the ladder eventually. The idea was to scare the locals into hiding and to cause them to start asking questions; start becoming suspicious."

"Why?" asked Vance.

"Twelve years ago, my boss Dan Kepler, was in a bar fight with a navy officer, or something. The local police came and arrested them of course, but the military guy was released when he showed off his medals and whatnot. Dan went to jail until their court appearance because he couldn't afford the bail. The navy guy got three so-called witnesses to testify that Dan attacked him in a drunken rage over something stupid and that he had pulled a knife on him. The navy guy convinced the courts it was self-defense and got a fine. Dan got eight years in prison."

"Who was the officer?" asked Gibbs.

"Name was Matthew Jones."

"Was?"

"He was shot in a fight at the same bar three years after Dan was sentenced."

"Figures," muttered Jimmy from the other room. Abby nodded in agreement.

"So this was all for revenge on a dead guy?" asked Vance in astonishment.

"No, one of the witnesses Jones called was an off-duty cop who was at the bar. Between that guy and the cops who were around him in jail and prison, Dan's been resentful for years. He feels like the police take sides with the powerful or high in status and abuse the lower classes."

"So when did Dan's plans change?" said Gibbs.

"About two months before our planned robbery at the restaurant to lure in a few cops, Dan started getting… eccentric. He was talking about doing a lot more to the cops he found than just beating them up and dumping them."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He seemed… possessed. Paranoid. Like if we didn't act soon and violently the world was going to end or something. He's become extremely violent and impatient."

"Is that how that body ended up in your car?"

"Yeah. That's Mike. Michael Lion." Zach chocked for a moment then cleared his throat. "He's my half-brother."

Gibbs waited for Zach to compose himself before urging a few more answers out of him.

"Mike told Dan he was taking the abuse too far, that the torture was excessive. Especially with that girl. He told Dan to lay off the abuse and to let her at least go. Then Dan pulled out a gun… and shot Mike in the head." Zach took a deep shuddering breath. "He told me I had ten hours to dump the body as far away as possible, then to get back to finish the job. If I don't show up, he will kill someone."

"Then we have no time to lose," said Simmons. "I'll get my team together." Simmons left the room, followed closely by Vance. Gibbs started to stand up, then looked back at Zach.

"Why did Mike care so much about Leah?"

"He had a younger sister. Name was Julie. She died in a car crash when she was 24. She was our only sister."

"Does Dan know you and Mike were related?"

"No."

Gibbs looked at Zach for a moment, then pulled out his small notebook and pen.

"Where are they?"


	20. Chapter 20: A Race Against Time

**Chapter 20: A Race Against Time**

Tony and Leah sate frozen, listening. A muffled shouting followed by the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor seemed quiet compared to the gunshot.

_Thump_

_Bump_

Grunts, voices, a car door and then an engine starting.

Then there was silence. Heavy, anticipating silence.

Leah and Tony looked at one another.

"Do I dare think…" asked Leah.

"Hoping someone is dead?" asked Tony.

"No, just… out of commission," said Leah.

"Sound more like someone is permanently out of commission."

"So… what do we do?"

Muffled noises echoed over their heads. Footsteps…pacing…moving furniture…angry shouts. Tony looked up, looked around the room, examined Leah's misshapen face, looked at his own leg.

"We wait."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Marilla, New York. A small peaceful community, out in the middle of nowhere compared to the big cities of the state. The landscape resembled the mid-West; flat, endless, and at this time of year, white and brown. With all the tourism in other parts of the state, nobody had heard of these little towns of houses spread sometimes miles apart. Like a farming community, without the farms.

One house was spread further than others. On the very outskirts of the town, almost with its own zip code, lay a small white rambler-style house. It sat at the edge of a state-protected forest with a long dirt driveway connecting it to the local highway. It was typical, it blended in, and that is why the man who currently "owned" it and resided there chose it. A few modifications made to the interior made it unique to his profession without changing the exterior. No neighbors, no attention, no problems. Perfect when you were trying to hide the screams of several individuals in the unfinished, modified basement.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"How much further?" asked Ziva for the fourth time.

"Agent David, I swear if you ask that question one more time…" Agent Simmons left the threat hanging, and Ziva disregarded it completely.

"Abby, I said-"

"I heard you Ziva." Abby's voice was frustrated over the speaker phone. She had been left behind in Rochester (with a lot of arguments, protests, and a near temper-tantrum) and was not in the mood to be civil.

"It is about an hour and fifteen minute drive according to the local cops. You are driving way faster than they normally do which should cut the time in half. You should be there in less than twenty minutes."

"Slow down," said Gibbs.

"What?" exclaimed Ziva and Abby together, voices rising in pitch and anger.

"We don't want Kepler to hear us coming," said Gibbs. "That's the best chance we have of taking him." Gibbs looked at his watch. Four hours and twenty-six minutes left.

Time was on their side.

Or was it?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Dan burst into the room. Leah and Tony were startled from their all day dozing. Dan was breathing heavily, like he had just run a marathon. His face was red and sweaty, his eyes were dilated.

"Up…off…the…floor…now." Each word took its own separate breath. His voice was slurred and heavy. He wrenched Tony off the floor and pulled the chains tight. Tony nearly blacked out as the waves of pain soared freely through his leg. Dan took the chain-noose off the wall and tightened it around Tony's neck. Tony chocked involuntarily and started coughing, struggling for air. The chain only allowed a tiny amount of air to pass through his throat.

As Tony gasped and coughed, Dan grabbed Leah by the hair and yanked her to her feet. She whimpered in pain and nearly fell over, dizzy from head trauma. He grabbed Leah around her waist, threw her effortlessly over his shoulder, and carried her upstairs, ignoring her small cries of pain. Tony watched them go, fighting the ever encroaching blackness threatening to take over his vision. He knew if he blacked out he would probably choke to death on the chain around his neck.

Shaking over took his body. He had to put all of his weight on one leg, and it was trembling. The chain around his neck forced him to stand very straight, and the lack of food or water for… _Geez, I can't even remember when we last ate, _added to the feelings of instability and weakness.

Against all odds though, his one leg was holding. He was upright, and fighting the urge to close his eyes and give in to the blackness that wanted to envelope him like a heavy blanket.

But for how long?


	21. Chapter 21: You're Too Late

**Chapter 21: You're Too Late…**

The group carefully approached the small white house. The sun had started its decent, shadowing the world in twilight. Time was ticking. Hearts were racing.

Vance signaled, and as pre-planned, the team split and circled the house; Gibbs and Ziva in the front door, Vance and Skyler in the back, Simmons and his partner on the side garage door. Zach had described the layout of the house with precise details. They knew (or hoped they knew) every room layout and floor layout.

_If this is another dead end, I swear someone's head will roll,_ thought Ziva.

Gibbs had the exact same thoughts.

Several other teams, both from New York and from D.C., held back at a distance, creating a wide circle about the house. Teams lay in the forest behind the house. Three ambulances and a variety of personal were also on standby.

And they were all waiting.

The signal sounded over their earpieces. All three pairs burst into the house.

"NCIS!"

"FBI!"

They all froze when they saw what was standing inside the house.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

The world spun like a merry-go-round set at a high speed that never ended. Colors swirled, shapes were distorted, perspective was inexistent. Tony's world was upside down, flipped backwards, and twisted into unrecognizable features. Only one thought and pure determination kept him upright.

_Stay standing…stay standing…stay standing….stay standing…I've been poisoned, beaten, drugged, tortured, betrayed, abused, rejected, threatened, and heart-broken. A broken leg won't stop me. Stay standing…stay standing…_

A fresh wave of dizziness swept over his body. He didn't dare close his eyes to relieve the nausea created by the endless spinning of the floor and walls.

If he did, he might never open them again.

Tony's concentration faltered for a moment. Was that shouting?

Voices… more than he had heard for the past week and a half.

And two sounded… familiar.

"Do I dare hope that…"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Gibbs and Ziva stood stock-still, guns drawn and ready, pointing. They pointed at a man with a medium build, shaggy, unkempt hair, and crazy eyes. He was breathing heavily and thickly. His entire body shook, including the hand that held a very large serrated knife to the throat of a badly battered, injured, exhausted young woman. Gibbs soundlessly identified Leah.

_Thank goodness. She's alive!_

"Put down the knife Kepler," said Simmons. He stood behind Dan, having entered in through the garage. Vance and Skyler were also behind Dan, standing just inside the back door. Dan paid them no attention. He stood facing Gibbs and Ziva with Leah held to his chest, knife in hand. No one could take a shot in such a small space for fear of hitting Leah or one another. A creepy, twisted, eccentric smile turned his face into that of a maniac, a crazed druggie at the height of his high.

"So…you…finally…found…me." His speech was slurred, heavy, and punctuated with the heavy breathing. Each word took extreme effort.

"You wanted us to find you?" asked Gibbs quietly.

"Not…before…but my… associates….rejected… my plans…my dreams… my ideals…all…dead." Dan laughed, more like cackled, insanely. "They…said…they…don't…like…my means….like there's ….are…much better."

"Which associates? Zach and Mike?"

Dan scoffed. "No…course not… those pawns… the big…boys the ones…on top… said… I was… too _rash…_ too crazy." He somehow said those words with thick sarcasm. "Can't… destroy…them… too strong… only can… destroy…" Dan stopped and started breathing faster. Gibbs could tell he was going to start hyperventilating soon.

"You can't destroy anyone anymore. You haven't destroyed us at NCIS like you wanted. You are only destroying yourself Dan." Gibbs held out a hand. "Just give me the knife."

Dan laughed. "Don't…need…to… destroy…you…others…your…men…they…are gone…or… almost…gone."

Ziva's heart dropped into her stomach in dread. She wanted to burst out screaming and shoot the pathetic excuse for a man in front of her dead. Only years of working for Mossad kept her face blank and her body still.

"This…loser…will…soon…follow…the…others." Dan smile was growing every more forbidding. He gently stroked Leah's face with the flat blade of the knife. Leah stood stone-still. Her face was white as a sheet and held an indescribable expression; one of terror, pain, and exhaustion.

Gibbs locked eyes with Leah. Ice blue, angry, and explosive stared at soft blue shot with red and full of tears and fears. Dan continued to rant about the death, destruction, and pain that was waiting for all those who had hurt him, all those who abused power, but Gibbs attention was elsewhere.

They just stared at one another.

A silent message made its way from the older, experienced mind to the younger, terrified mind. Leah gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Gibbs looked back to Dan, who was still rambling and ranting.

"Dan Kepler."

Dan fell silent at Gibbs' tone.

"You are under arrest for kidnapping and torturing of a civilian, the kidnapping, torture, and possible murder of two federal agents, and for the murder of your accomplice, Michael Lion. You are also under arrest for suspected terrorism and conspiracy against your country. Release your hostage. Drop the knife. Step away from the young woman you have so carelessly hurt."

The room fell silent. Six agents waited. One young woman prayed. One irrational man tried to think through the fog of drugs and emotions that clouded his mind.

But all rational and logical thinking was long gone.

One final idea, one final act, one final purpose dominated.

Dan smiled and lowered the knife. "You're too late Agent Gibbs" and plunged the knife into Leah's body.


	22. Chapter 22: Alive?

**Chapter 22: Alive?**

Five shots rang out. Dan fell to the ground, bullets embedded in his forehead, neck, and back. Dead before he hit the ground.

One person didn't shoot.

Gibbs sprinted with uncanny speed to Leah's side. She had fallen to the ground like a rock, only moments before Dan did. Gibbs actually dropped his gun trying to reach her before she hit the ground.

And he almost did.

Gibbs carefully picked up Leah and cradled her in his arms. The world moved around him in a blur as he gazed at this girl, this woman who didn't resemble his own daughter in any way, yet reminded him of her like almost no one he had ever met. Her eyes were open and blank. Gibbs stared at the knife sticking out of her side and felt all the emotions, the stress, fear, anxiety, concern, grief, and sorrow bubble to the surface, and he cried. He held Leah in his arms and gently rocked, openly weeping.

Ziva materialized out of the blur and knelt beside Gibbs. She carefully touched Leah's blond, bloody, matted hair and cried tears of her own. The two sat there for what felt like hours, but was only mere moments.

Gibbs raised his eyes to look into Leah's face.

He froze.

Leah blinked a second time.

Ziva saw the second blink and froze.

A third twitch, then a small breath drawn.

Time restarted.

"Get a medic in here. NOW!" shouted Gibbs. Simmons stopped and saw the slight movement of Leah's chest.

_She's alive?_

He ran out the door, calling loudly. Vance and Skyler, who had been busy clearing the top floor, stopped and saw the slight signs of life in Leah's face.

_How is she alive?_

_How is she conscience?_

Paramedics flooded through the door. Gibbs helped them carefully secure Leah to the gurney. He looked at the knife sticking out of her body, right beneath her rib cage. He felt a touch. Looking down, he saw Leah's hand carefully squeezing his with what weak and frail strength she still possessed. He looked Leah in the eye and gently returned the squeeze.

Then she was gone, whisked away by the paramedics and screaming away in an ambulance.

Ziva was looking around the room frantically. "Where's the basement? Zach said Tony and McGee were last in the basement, and there is no door where he said it would be!"

Vance looked down the hallway and saw a black wall where a door was supposed to be. His mind raced, searching. Did Zach lie?

Skyler came over and looked at hallway in question. A puzzled expression appeared on his face. "Do hallways ever exist with no doors?" he asked. Ziva mind paused and her eyes searched. Skyler was right; there were no doors in the hallway.

"No," said Gibbs, who had just joined the crew. "Halls almost always end with a door." He walked down the short hallway and peered at the wall. He took a step back then lifted his leg and kicked right through the wall. Thin sheetrock and a layer of paint concealed a doorway. Gibbs pulled the remaining sheetrock out of the way and tossed it aside. He looked back at the group then started down the dark stairwell.

Thirteen steps down. Gibbs flipped on a light illuminating an unfinished basement cluttered with various objects. Three chairs, bits of rope, wires, cloths, a video camera on a tripod, and old computer in the corner.

And a bloody trail.

Multiple bloody trails, leading to two doors.

Vance and Gibbs looked at one another and nodded. They split up and each took a door. Vance beckoned to Ziva as he approached the far door; Skyler followed Gibbs to the closest door.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Gibbs carefully opened his door.

It was a furnace room. A water heater and a furnace took up the majority of the space. A long box took up the far wall. The box had a loosely fitted lid, pieces of plastic poking out, and smears of blood.

Gibbs cleared the room and approached. He lifted off the lid slowly and shined a light on its contents.

"Oh McGee…"

Tim laid sideways inside, half-covered in the plastic. His sports coat he had been wearing the day he left was gone, as were his shoes. His shirt and pants were covered in small electrical burns. Gibbs knelt by the box and moved the plastic away from Tim's face. He almost didn't recognize it. Tim's face was a sickly blue-gray bruised color. His hair was full of dried blood and a large contusion graced the side of his head. Gibbs could see a few abrasions and lacerations across Tim's scalp.

"Oh McGee, what have they done to you. How could they have done this to you?"

Gibbs laid a hand on Tim's head, feeling numb and empty. His emotions had been fluctuating so much today.

Double-take.

Wait.

_Was that a…_

Gibbs carefully touched Tim's head again. There. Near the back, out of his sight, he felt something rough, like a cloth. Gibbs maneuvered around the end of the box and shined a light.

A bandage. A clean, fresh, white cloth, like from a first aid kit.

_Why would his head be bandaged? Unless…_

Gibbs reached over and placed two fingers on the nape of Tim's neck.

"What are you doing?" asked Skyler.

Gibbs didn't answer, only concentrated.

There. Was it just his imagination?

No, there again.

And again.

A pulse.

"Get the medics in here," said Gibbs softly.

Skyler hesitated. "Agent Gibb?"

"I have a pulse."

Skyler paused, registered that statement in his mind, and sprinted out, calling loudly.

Gibbs reached down once more and examined Tim's head and face. Tim was breathing, albeit slow and shallow, but he was breathing.

"He's alive."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Ziva and Vance approached the door. Ziva unlocked the multiple dead bolts and opened the door carefully. The room was dark.

"Ziva…" a harsh, breathless whisper.

Vance found a light switch and flipped it on.

Light flooded Tony's world. He cried out in pain as it added a new harshness to his spinning universe. Voices spun around his head like flies. A hand, a soft hand, touched the tender skin on his neck around the chain. Tony attempted to focus on the figure removing one of the many sources of his pain, but failed. His world was going dark, and he didn't think he could fight it any longer.

"Ziva, lower those chains. I'll support DiNozzo. He looks about ready to pass out."

Ziva did as Vance said and slowly untangled the chains with shaking hands. Tony's face was gray and his lips had a slight bluish hue. With the chain around his neck gone his breathing evened out a little, and he gained back a little bit of coloring, but he still struggled for air. Ziva could see the anguish in his face and carefully lowered Tony's arms. Vance supported Tony's torso as his arms came down. Several paramedics rushed in and assisted. One looked at Tony's obviously broken leg and swollen neck and sent one out for a gurney.

Tony looked up and blinked hard. He mumbled something incomprehensible and searched the room with his eyes.

"Tony?" Ziva carefully took his head in her hands and turned his face towards hers. "Tony?" she asked again. Tony managed to make a few words.

"Ziva…"

"Yes?"

"…found…"

"Yes, we found you. We found everyone."

"…safe…"

"Yes Tony, you're-" Ziva's throat closed for a moment. "You're safe."

Tony took a deep breath, smiled, then passed out.

Vance, Ziva, and the paramedics caught Tony and maneuvered him onto the waiting gurney. As he was strapped down Ziva leaned in and brushed her hand across Tony's forehead.

"You're safe. You're alive."


	23. Chapter 23: Three Separate Spheres

**Chapter 23: Three Separate Spheres**

_**Hovering**_

Drifting on the edge isn't a pleasant experience. You are stuck in a world of limbo; a world of haze, fog, dark, light, motion, and calm. Shapes and colors don't exist, it's all just blurry shades of black and white. Time will stop, fast forward, rewind, repeat. You are trapped in your body, unable to move. You can't focus enough to make sense of what you see; you can't concentrate enough to make sense of the voices circling around your head. You just drift at the mercy of the swirling world.

Sharp waves of pain rocked her body and she couldn't remember where the pain was coming from. Only that it was there. It arced across her thin frame with every heartbeat. It would rise, fade, the return in stronger force than before. It seemed to be coming from somewhere on her torso, and it was spreading. Eventually it grew so strong she started seeing red, then white. The pain seemed to fill her with a blazing fire. A blinding whiteness overtook her vision.

And then it stopped. It stopped because her heart had stopped beating, and with no heartbeat the fire couldn't spread. Blackness swept in and settled around her body. It started to carry her away, unheeding to the frantic voices that surrounded her, begging her to stay. It was like someone was wrapping heavy blanket around her body and was gently carrying her away. It pulled her from her body, leaving an empty shell behind. And she died, because it just seemed easier. Easier to leave the world behind and let the darkness soothe her pain than to resist it and stay.

However, just like always, human nature refused to let her be taken. They refused to let her die. They burst in on the blackness and attempted to tear it away with a sharp flash of white lightning. The lightning tore at the blanket surrounding her and tried pulling it to shreds. It was trying to pull her back to mortal life.

_But why would I want to go back? What does that world of pain have over this encroaching darkness? What could the world possibly possess that would entice me to stay?_

A second shock rippled through her body, shaking the darkness, trying to coax her back and force her heart back into motion. Even separated from her body she could feel the artificial oxygen pulsing through her bloodstream.

_But I'm dead. Aren't I?_ She directed this question towards the darkness and realized it wasn't really darkness. It was her own vision that was dark. There was a presence of sorts; some being there that had carried her from her body in a blanket of peace, free from pain. She asked again. _What is there left for me there, with the rest of the world?_

A vision appeared before her eyes, the first real color and definition she had seen for a while. She saw her ordeal, her pain, her suffering. It just seemed to accent the desire to leave with this unknown presence, but new images appeared. Her family, every single one individually. She saw the sorrow of her parents, the fear of her older brothers, the anxiety of the younger ones. She saw the man who wanted her dead. She saw her childhood friends. She saw people she had met and influenced. She saw those she could influence if she went back. She saw the life she could live, if she so chose; a man, a family, a life. She watched the man who had caused her so much pain and saw him disappear into a deeper, darker, ominous darkness with...something. He didn't have a choice; he had chosen his path and was now traveling with the consequences. He was gone, and she didn't have to worry about him anymore. His fate didn't bring her any joy, just a sense of pity and sorrow that he had felt like his actions were somehow justified.

A third flash of lightning tried to cut through the blackness. She knew that it wouldn't succeed unless this Presence let it, but It instead showed her the images again. _It is my choice?_ Something in her knew it was her choice. _Why am I given the choice? So many others didn't get a choice, why me?_ The Presence spoke, for the first time, in her mind. She listened to what said, then nodded, understanding. _But it is still my choice?_ An assurance. She thought for a moment. _You know, I've worked so hard to stay alive, if I have a choice, I should probably keep my promise_. It asked a final question. _Yes, I've made my choice._

The blanket was removed and the Presence carefully retreated, leaving her alone. She looked down and saw her body laying still, several individuals clustered around her. She could see they were only going to try once more, one more wave of lightning, before they told themselves she was gone. She knew she was going back to a world of hardship, and that it would not be easy, but then, life never was. If life was easy what would be the point? She slid back into the broken body she called her own and settled. The fourth wave of lightning hurt, a lot, and she submitted to their efforts.

Her heart beat once more. She took a small breath.

"I have a pulse. Leah's finally back."

A collective sigh echoed through the back of the ambulance as they pulled up to the hospital.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

_**Emerging**_

The world was different somehow. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but something was different. The world had been so quiet, so calm. He had had a lot of pain in the beginning but it had reduced to a dull ache of sorts. Now the world was loud. And moving. _Why is the world moving? _A small spark of fear flared in his chest. _Are they coming back, will he kill me, or am I already dead? _He had never died before, so he wasn't sure what death would feel like when it came. Maybe it was that nice guy who had put a bandage on his head. The bandage had helped a lot. It had stopped the horrible sensation of his life force ebbing out of his body. _He even tried to give me some water. Too bad I can't seem to make my limbs move._ He had only chocked on the water as it trickled into his lungs. The man hadn't tried again after that and had only been back once.

It had been so quiet, so peaceful. All the noises were making his head hurt again. _And the pain has only just faded, why must they be so loud?_ Suddenly he realized he was moving, a kind of gentle swaying, like a small boat on a calm lake. The voices were now fewer in number, but no less persistent in volume and intensity. _Maybe I can tell them to keep the noise down. It is really giving me a headache._

"Natalie…"

"Yeah?"

"Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"His hand…moved."

"What?"

"Agent McGee's hand moved. Look."

The two focused on the ragged hand of the man lying still before them. The man everyone thought was dead at first. It laid still. The woman called Natalie sighed in resignation.

"I don't think he would be able to-"

The hand twitched. Again. Then a slight sound came from his throat. An eyelid twitched.

The paramedics looked at each other in amazement.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

_**Descending**_

Relief. Beautiful, exquisite, heavenly relief. Not only was the pain mostly gone, thanks to some very powerful drugs, he was lying horizontal instead of standing vertical. If he never had to stand again, it would be too soon. The agony of the past few hours had nearly done him in, but he had survived. None of the discomfort of the rocking vehicle or the awkwardness of being strapped down to a gurney had any effect on him. The bustling of people, the slight jarring of his various body parts, all was trivial compared to the horrific, all-encompassing agony of before. He breathed slowly and deeply, thinking of nothing else besides how wonderful the fresh air tasted and how miraculous it was to be able to completely fill his lungs without feeling like he wanted to fall over. _Relief…calm…so nice. _

"Agent DiNozzo? Can you hear me? Agent DiNozzo?"

He gave a soft sigh, opened his eyes for a moment and nodded at the paramedic addressing him, then closed his eyes and exhaled. The medic watched Tony for a moment. The pain etched in his face was prominent, but the agony and almost crazed suffering was gone.

A soft noise came from his throat. He was snoring.

The paramedic smiled and sat back. He let out a deep breath. He was the only one in the back, due to the need of extras in the other ambulances. He rested his head on the swaying walls of the ambulance, content to rest until they arrived at the hospital.


	24. Chapter 24: The Waiting Game

**Chapter 24: The Waiting Game**

Gibbs and Ziva left the scene processing thankfully to Vance, Skyler, and the Rochester FBI. They followed the ambulances to the nearest hospital, arriving at nearly the same time as Abby, Ducky, and Palmer. They walked in silently and sat as a group in the waiting room. Ducky broke the silence long enough to tell Gibbs the Wyattson family were halfway to Rochester. They had paced a few things and left from DC when they heard about Zach's confession from Vance. They were driving together, instead of trying to find a flight that would get all eight of them to New York. Gibbs acknowledged Ducky's statement and continued to stare at the doors where news would hopefully emerge from, and soon.

News emerged once, telling them all three individuals were in surgery. Tony would be done first and moved to recovery in a few hours.

"And the others?" asked Palmer.

The nurse shook her head. "I don't know. Leah is in bad shape. Her heart stopped once on the way over here and there is a definite risk of it happening again. Timothy has to be treated for extensive brain trauma and internal bleeding." She looked at them all apologetically. "It will be awhile."

"Thank you very much," said Ducky politely. He smiled a tired smile and sat down carefully in a large chair. The others followed suit.

Gibbs looked at his watch.6:04 pm, four minutes after the ten hour limit set that morning; a lifetime ago.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

The Wyattson crew arrived around 11:36 pm. Tony was still in surgery due to complications with setting his shattered leg. Ziva and Gibbs were the only ones awake when the family quietly entered. Abby was asleep on Gibbs' lap so Ziva stood to greet them. She shook hands with the three boys she hadn't met yet, an older set of twins named Bryan and Benjamin and a sixteen-year old named John. She gave them the limited news.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything else I can tell you."

"Don't worry about it Agent David," said Leanne. "We've been waiting over a week to see our daughter; we can wait."

The waiting room was large enough to seat the entire family along with the team. Within minutes the young twins were asleep on their parent's laps. The minutes ticked by slowly. Gibbs caught himself watching the second hand on the large ornate clock hanging on the wall and tore his eyes away. He looked around and watched various members of his team sleep. Ziva was still the only other one awake; she was standing by the window, staring out into the night.

12:12 am. A nurse finally walked out the doors. Gibbs carefully transferred Abby's head onto the couch and walked out to meet her. Ziva followed.

"Tony is out of surgery and recovery. He will be asleep at least the rest of the night and maybe into tomorrow." She paused and looked around the room. "Visiting hours are technically over, but if one of you would like to go sit with him, that would be fine."

Gibbs looked at Ziva. She hesitated, then nodded. "I'll go." Ziva followed the nurse down the hall. A second nurse appeared. Gibbs approached her.

"Leah is almost out of surgery. They are finishing up setting her collarbone and should be out of recovery in an hour or two, depending on how well her body takes these final few steps.

Gibbs sighed in relief. "What about McGee?"

"Timothy? He's out of surgery technically, but they are doing several final scans on his brain and spine. His lack of response to some of the basic reflexive response tests has the doctors worried about permanent brain or spinal injury."

Gibbs' heart dropped back into his stomach. "When…"

"We'll let you know." The nurse placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "It won't be long now."

Gibbs took a deep breath and thanked her. He walked over to Leanne and Jacob to relay the news.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Ziva carefully poked her head through the doorway. Tony lay peacefully on the bed. His face was blotchy and weary; the look of someone who was malnourished and severely dehydrated. Ziva walked over and stood at the foot of the bed. She looked over the large contraption encasing his entire leg and lower torso, the bandages everywhere, and the stiches showing over parts of his neck and face. She a slight anger stirring as she thought of the men who had done this, but it faded into sadness. Ziva collapsed into the hard plastic chair next to the bed and carefully laid her hand over Tony's.

"Tony…please-" Ziva's throat closed. "Please Tony. Wake up. Tell me you are going to be okay. Wake us so I can know. You looked so close to death when we found you. If you hadn't been standing I would have thought you were dead."

No response.

"I'm… I am sorry I ignored your calls. From…when you broke my keyboard. It was foolish…and immature. I should have let you apologize, in your own unique way. Grudges are such trivial things."

The monitors continued to beep, and a fan was buzzing somewhere in one of the machines, but no human sound came from the bed.

"Please…please wake up."

Ziva removed her hand and stood abruptly. She walked to the window and stared out for a moment, into the dark of the morning. Emotions overwhelmed the broken shell that usually shielded her heart and she walked quickly out of the room, tears starting to flow.

She missed the twitch of the hand she had just been grasping.


	25. Chapter 25: News?

**A/N: **Thank you to my roommate for some technical bone and brain terminology.

**Chapter 25: News?**

3:36 am. All are sleeping. The hospital was not yet greeting the new day, but a few people here and there were moving in those early hours. Young Tyson and Trent woke to the sound of a squeaky cart being pushed through a door. They slipped out of their parent's laps and walked to the nurse's desk. Tyson got down on his hands and knees. Trent climbed onto his back so he could see over the tall counter. He pushed the small call button and waited patiently. A nurse came out and was startled by the small figure waving at her. She smiled and walked over.

"Hello there. What can I do for you?" She was further surprised when Trent hopped down and Tyson popped up off the ground. "What can I do for both of you?"

"How's our sister?"

The nurse bit her lip. She hadn't checked the status of the girl for the past hour. She had been busy with other patients from a large car accident earlier in the day. One look at the twin's faces changed her previous intentions.

"I haven't heard, but I will go check right now. Why don't you go wake up your parents?"

"Okay," the two said together. Tyson headed for his parents, but Trent went to Gibbs, who was sleeping on the couch. Trent put a hand on Gibb's knee and he was awake nearly instantly.

"Mr. Gibbs, the nurse is going to tell us how Leah is doing. Do you want to hear?"

The group of five met the nurse at the desk. She walked out with a smile.

"Leah is out of surgery. They are keeping her in the ICU because of her injuries, but she's breathing on her own and is stable."

The adults breathed a sigh of relief. "How badly is she hurt? What are your injuries?"

The nurse's smile faded.

"That bad?" asked Gibbs.

"She's- hurt." She saw Leanne's expression and hurried with the rest of her statement. "That is, she's hurt, but not in critical condition. The very fact that she is alive and stable is a miracle in itself." She looked back down the hall. "Let me get one of her doctors out here. He can better explain."

"Okay then," said Leanne.

Gibbs caught the nurse by the shoulder before she left. "What about McGee? Any news on him?"

"I'll bring his doctor as well. Okay?"

Gibbs nodded and let her leave. Tyson and Trent had already started waking everyone up with the news.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

The group was gathered in a circle in the waiting room, created by three couches and several chairs. Most sat silently, lost in thought, except Abby. She was talking rapidly in an effort to hide her nerves. She got talking to Tyson and he was trying to teach her all of his brothers' names.

"Luke, John, Bryan-"

"No, that's Bryan! That is Ben."

"They look the same silly. Can't we just call them both Bob and be done?" teased Abby.

"No!" said Tyson in astonishment. "It's easy. They look totally different. That is Ben, and that is Bryan."

"Okay, okay," laughed Abby. "Let's see; John, Luke, Ben, Bryan, Trent, and Tyson."

"Woohoo! Good job!"

Ducky and Palmer laughed along. "My goodness Leanne, how did you manage to have two sets of twin boys?" asked Ducky.

Leanne smiled. "Just lucky I guess. Trust me, I wasn't expecting to be blessed with six boys. And both sets are identical twins to."

"Dad says we came out at the same time to save on time and make everyone's lives harder," said Trent smiling. "We bring trouble in pairs." Even Ziva laughed at that statement.

"Mom says we just wanted to enforce the buddy system at birth," said Tyson.

The chorus of laughter was cut short by the arrival of the two doctors. Jacob saw them first and stood quickly. Everyone else turned and started to stand.

"Please, sit everyone. It's been a long day."

All reluctantly sat.

"I'm Dr. Harris. This is Dr. Jensen."

"What is the news?" asked Leanne politely.

Both doctors sat down. "Who should we start with?" asked Dr. Jensen

"Leah," said Gibbs. "And skip the technical talk."

"I can do that," said Dr. Harris. He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes for a moment. "Leah, against all odds, is stable and is out of critical condition. Her heart stopped once on the way here, but she remained stable during the entire procedure. Because of her weakened condition and how long it was before her heart restarted, there is a slight possibility of brain damage." He saw the started glances on the family's faces. "However, considering that she didn't crash at all during surgery I am optimistic that any damage will be minimal and temporary."

A small sigh escaped Jacob's cool demeanor. "Please go on."

Dr. Harris took a deep breath. "Leah has four fractured or broken ribs, a deep crack in her olecranon process, which is the bony tip of the elbow and is part of the forearm, her collarbone is fractured in two places and her shoulder blade is partially crushed." He paused. "Because of all this damage, there is a good chance that she will lose some functions in her left arm."

"How much function?" asked Ducky.

"At best, ten to twenty percent. At worst… eighty to ninety five percent."

"How do you get numbers like that?" asked Luke.

"Practical experience. It will all depend on how her ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bones mend. She will be in intense physical therapy for at least a year, maybe more."

Silence.

"What about the knife wound?" asked Abby.

"That actually has some good news to go with it," said Dr. Harris. "The knife was a serrated switch blade and was actually very short. Her ribs deflected the blade and stopped it just short of her liver. It's not a flesh wound by all means, but it is not nearly as serious as it could have been."

Trent raised his hand in the air.

"Yes buddy?"

"So what does that all mean? Will Leah be okay?"

"Yes. It will be a very long time before she is better, but she will recover."

A collective sigh echoed through the group.

"Well, I'd rather lose my arm than my life," said 16 year-old John.

"Well said John," said Ducky. He smiled at the family. "I think Leah would agree with you."

"Can we see her now? I at least haven't seen her since...almost a week before she was kidnapped," asked Bryan.

"Of course. Normally we don't let so many people into the ICU, but we can make an exception," said Dr. Harris. "If you will all just follow me please."

The family stood up and moved towards the doors. Jacob turned to the team before he left.

"We all still pray that Agent McGee will make it through as well."

"Thank you," said Gibbs. Jacob followed his family down the hallway.

Dr. Jensen sat up in his chair and faced the team. "Are any of you Agent McGee's family?

"No," said Ziva.

"Not by blood at least," said Ducky.

Dr. Jensen took the hint and smiled. "All right then." He took a deep breath and because serious. "Agent McGee appears to be in a coma."

"What do you mean?" asked Abby.

"He took some very serious head trauma and there was a significant amount of swelling in his brain. Additionally, he had some pretty serious external bleeding and a little bit of internal bleeding in is brain. He would have bled to death in a few hours if someone hadn't bandaged his head and stopped the bleeding."

"Oh," whispered Abby.

"Has his brain been damaged beyond repair?" asked Palmer.

"The sections of his brain that show damage are his cerebellum, occipital lobe, and his temporal lobe. His entire skull is one big bruise and that has not helped with swelling."

"Does that mean McGee will never wake up?" asked Abby.

"Not at all. His chances of waking up are about 50-50 right now. Each day the swelling goes down, his chances go up. No, we are more worried, right now, about what his condition will be when he wakes."

"Explain please," said Ducky.

"We cannot tell you exactly how Timothy will be if he wakes up. The brain reacts differently to identical injuries depending on the person. We can only guess."

"And your guess is-" asked Gibbs impatiently.

"We suspect Timothy will have to re-learn to walk due to the damage in his cerebellum. The damage is most extensive in that part of his brain. He will probably have troubles with balance, coordination, and tremors for a while as his brain re-learns how to function. The next worse damage is in his occipital lobe. I'm sure you can guess that that part of his brain deals with his vision. He will definitely have vision complications. Whether they are permanent will depend on how his brain heals." Dr. Jensen looked down at the papers in his hands and took a deep breath. "His temporal lobe has the least amount of damage, but any damage here can create permanent memory loss, cases of short-term memory loss, and communication problems."

"Wow," whispered Palmer.

"Don't give up hope though. This is all worst case scenario damage. I've seen many miracles happen in this building."

"When will we know?" asked Ziva.

"When Timothy wakes up."

"So what can you do right now?" asked Gibbs.

"We can watch him, keep him stable, fight off infection, hope, and pray." Dr. Jensen looked around the group. "Tim's fate is out of our hands for now. It will take time."

Ducky sighed. "Oh time, the ruler of us all."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Tony woke from his nightmares with a start and looked around the room. It was dark, but faint light from the street lamps outside revealed his surroundings. It was a decent sized room, and like all hospitals Tony had been in, the room lacked color and the bed was terrible. He assessed his conditions using his hands and was surprised how much better he felt. _Could I really be that much better in such a short amount of time? Unless I've been asleep for a lot longer than I think._ _Or maybe I'm just on some really high painkillers._

Still tired though, Tony lay back in the bed and closed his eyes. His mind wandered back to his dreams. Guns, knives, blood, a baseball bat. His thoughts turned to Tim and Leah. _Did they make it? Did they find McGee? Was he alive? Was Leah still alive? Ziva said they found everyone, but was that just to make me feel better? I wouldn't put that past her. Was I the only one who survived?_ Tony looked around the room once more before giving in to the sleepiness that was clouding his thoughts. _Where is everyone?_


	26. Chapter 26: The Prayer of a Child

**Chapter 26: The Prayer of a Child**

_Three days later… and back in D.C._

Trent was bored. He had wanted to go with Luke and John to see Leah because it was his turn, but Tyson had a cold so he had to stay home so no one in the hospital would get sick. Luke and John sat and talked about John's high school basketball stuff and that was boring him. Trent wanted to play games or something but he felt like he had to be quiet to let Leah sleep. The doctors said she would wake up when she was ready, and everyone wanted her to wake up but Trent could tell she needed the sleep. Especially after the long trip from New York to Washington D.C.

Trent looked out the open door and saw Abby down the hall. He liked her and her funny personality. She was really nice, even if she looked a little bit scary at first. Trent told Luke he was going to say hi and hurried around the corner where Abby had gone. The other policemen…_No federal agents. That's what Dad calls them…_ were in rooms just around the corner from Leah's room, right next to each other. Trent peeked into the first one and saw Ziva, the woman with the cool last name, sitting next to Tony. The two doctors Jimmy Palmer and Ducky _(I like his name)_ were there to. Trent tried the next room and saw Abby with Gibbs. They were sitting on opposite sides of Tim's bed. Ben had said they called him McGee, but Trent thought Tim was a better name. It started with a T after all.

"Hi Abby."

Abby looked up in surprise. "Oh, hi Trent. How's it going?"

"Good."

"Where's Tyson?"

"He has a cold, so Mom made him stay home. She said he needed to stay home so no other people got sick, especially here at the hospital."

"Well that's good. Tell him I hope he gets better soon."

"I will." Trent walked further into the room and looked at Tim lying in the bed. "How's Tim doing today?"

"Fine," Abby said with a sad smile. "Hasn't woken up yet, but the doctors say the swelling in his brain has gone down. Maybe he will wake up soon."

Trent looked at the prone figure in the bed then at Gibbs. "He'll wake up soon."

Gibbs looked quizzically at Trent. "We hope so."

"No, he will wake up soon."

Gibbs and Abby both stared at Trent. "How do you know?" asked Abby.

"I just know. Just like with Leah. She's going to wake up soon to." He thought for a moment. "Probably tonight or later tomorrow."

Gibbs and Abby shot glances at each other. "Well, I guess we'll have to see what happens," said Gibbs.

Trent folded his arms, pouting a bit. "You don't believe me do you?"

"Well, I-"

"Grown-ups never believe me. Or at least most don't."

"Can you tell me how you know she'll wake up soon Trent?"

"I feel it."

"What do you mean?"

"I feel it," said Trent in exasperation. "In my head… and right here." Trent gestured towards his torso. "I know in my… stomach… or whatever is right here."

"A gut feeling?" asked Abby.

"Sure, if this is your gut." Trent pointed to his mid-section. "Is this called your gut?"

Gibbs smiled. "Something like that."

"Gut. Gut, gut, gut, gut. Tyson will like that word." Trent waved goodbye and walked out of the room. "Gut, gut, gut…"

Gibbs and Abby laughed as Trent's voice faded down the hallway. "Leanne might not forgive you for that one," laughed Abby.

"Probably not," chuckled Gibbs. The two sat in silence, staring at Tim.

"Do you think he's right – about McGee?"

"I don't know Abby. It seems a little… far-fetched."

"You know, one of the sisters I sometimes bowl with says children can perceive more about the world than adults." Abby switched to an impressive old-lady voice. "'Children perceive more than you realize, but keep many miraculous statements to themselves because foolish adults are too stubborn to listen. The prayer of a child is sacred. Those who reject it bring hardship on themselves.'"

Gibbs said nothing. Abby reached over and touched Gibb's lightly on the shoulder. "Besides, if his gut tells him so, it must be true. Just like our fearless leader's gut tells him things sometimes."

Gibb's smiled slightly. The two fell silent once again and watched their friend, hoping.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"Well, that's about it Tony. I think we can finally call this report and statement finished." Ziva closed the file with a snap and gratefully put it away. The past three days had been crazy between moving everyone and everything to D.C. from New York and gathering all the evidence at the crime scene. The reports were long and hairy. Ziva had finally found the time to finish getting Tony's statement. She smiled at Tony, who looked stony. "That takes care of two birds with one brick for me."

"That's 'two birds with one stone' Ziva," corrected Ducky.

"Brick, stone, doesn't matter. Both are heavy and could get the job done."

"It would depend on the size of bird. Or the brick for that matter," said Palmer.

"Well, I could still care less."

"I am done as well," said Ducky. He stood up with a groan. "Mr. Palmer and I must return to NCIS to finish our hands-on work." Ducky patted Tony's shoulder. "See you soon Anthony."

"Bye Ducky," mumbled Tony.

Palmer waved goodbye and followed Ducky out the door. Ziva sat back in her chair with a sigh. She looked at Tony, worried. He hadn't looked at her for most of his statement, choosing instead to stare at the wall.

"Everything alright Tony?"

"Yeah, fine," said Tony. His voice was hard, and Ziva could tell he was lying.

"Are you in pain? Do I need to call the nurses?"

"No, I said I'm fine."

Ziva looked at Tony, wondering. The past few days had been hard on everything. Media hype had added a lot of stress and extra paperwork to the mess. Ziva realized she had only really seen Tony, while he was awake, today. _Has he been alone the past few days?_

"Can I get you anything?"

"Ziva, I'm fine. If you want to help me, stop harping like you're my mother."

Ziva, stung by his tone and words, stood up and walked out without a word. Tony dropped the mask he had been wearing the past several hours and fell back on his pillows. He knew he was being unfair, but he wasn't in the mood to be social or civil. His mind, like always, turned to the events of the past few days that had been haunting him.

_Two days earlier…_

"Twenty minutes until we reach D.C. Have the others made it safely?"

"Yes sir. Timothy and Leah's helicopters made it safely to the hospital. The last report said both have yet to wake up."

"Okay, thanks Marc." The doctor smiled down at Tony. "Too bad we couldn't fly you home as well."

"No problem," said Tony quietly.

"He'd have to be in as bad of condition as the others if he wanted special treatment," teased one of the medics in the vehicle.

"Guess you wouldn't be able to enjoy the experience if you were that bad anyway," said another.

Tony laughed weakly with the rest of them.

_A day earlier…_

They thought Tony was asleep, but he had hardly slept in the past 36 hours.

"Ah, thank you Alana. Did the Rochester hospital send us all the paperwork?"

"Yes, we got it all. Here are the files specifically for Agent DiNozzo."

"Good." A pause. "Well, for all the stress that was on his leg this break looks relatively good. No stress fractures or shattering. They did a good job setting it as well."

"You almost sound surprised."

"No, just pleased. Less work for us and a better future for Agent DiNozzo."

"His report is definitely brighter than the other two."

"In some ways, yes. They are all lucky to be alive and hopefully they will all pull out of this with little permanent injury."

"Um, doctor…"

"Yes?"

"I was watching the news this morning, and some of the other nurses were saying-"

"I know what they have been talking about and it is not our place to judge. It is a federal investigation and we do not and should not talk about it, even amongst ourselves."

"The news was saying-"

"Is wrong. Period. Worthwhile newscasters wouldn't spread rumors."

The hall light shone through the doorway, and then was cut off. Alone once again, Tony opened his eyes. He had seen part of the news before Gibbs turned it off, disgusted. He had heard the rumors.

_Present…_

"'Standing outside the Bethesda Hospital, we still await news from NCIS regarding the status of the investigation. They report that all three victims were rescued near Rochester, New York and the kidnappers arrested, but have failed to release any other statements regarding the victim's conditions. Rumors are flying about what happened during those eleven days two federal agents and a young woman were missing'."

"Tony?" Abby poked her head in the room. Tony didn't respond and continued watching the news.

"'Witnesses from restaurant where the three individuals were kidnapped are stating that the federal agents stood by as the assailants abused and robbed all the civilians in the restaurant. Several have considered suing NCIS for failing to apprehend the men. Rumors go from government conspiracy to bribery, especially from Special Agent DiNozzo who was the only individual in relatively good health when rescued, to a dirty cops and rising crime wars that span across the east coast. While we-'" The screen went dark.

"Hey!" Tony looked at Gibbs, who was holding the remote. "I was watching that."

"That's all you've watched for the past two days Tony." Gibbs put the remote out of reach and stood next to the bed. "The rumors aren't worth listening to. They change according to the hour and the weather."

"At least then I can know what society will think of me when I leave here. I can be prepared."

"Nothing they are saying is true. Statements were released this morning, they were just too busy spreading rumors here to hear it."

Tony said nothing and stared at his lap.

"What's really wrong Tony?"

"Nothing."

Gibbs slapped Tony over the head. "Don't lie to me. What's going through your head?"

Tony stared Gibbs in the eye, angry, then turned his gaze away. Gibbs slapped him over the head again. Tony sighed.

"I failed."

"What?"

"I failed." The mask fell away, showing the pain etched in his face.

"What do you mean DiNozzo?"

"I failed in the restaurant. I failed every second I spent in that house. I-" he stopped.

"Failed in what?"

"Everything."

"I would disagree."

"You weren't there."

"Then explain please."

"I…"

"Can't explain? Won't explain? Do you even know yourself DiNozzo?"

Tony looked out the window. He could see the news vans in the parking lot.

"I'm waiting Tony."

"I promised her I wouldn't let her get hurt."

"You did?" said Gibbs surprised. "Isn't that usually McGee's job?"

Tony laughed weakly. "Yeah, you would think so. I just… McGee had a pretty serious knock to the head and was out of commission quite a bit of the time. Most of the time, it was Leah and I struggling to stay awake so we didn't hang ourselves on those stupid chains and-" Tony took a deep shuddering breath. "Leah's only eighteen. She's barely an adult. I could see how terrified she was, how much pain she was in. I tried, but no matter what I did, they wouldn't leave her alone!" His voice escalated in volume and he continued yelling at the wall and window. "One day… he took her out of the room and upstairs. At first it was quiet, and I was worried he had driven away with her. Then she started screaming. Not in pain, but in fear and anger. She was shouting at him saying she'd be dead before she'd let him do that to her."

Tony looked at Gibbs with tears in his eyes. "He was trying to rape her boss. And all I could do was sit down there and listen. I tried to find a way to escape, to help her, but I couldn't! I listened to her fight him for hours. When he brought her back, he threw her in the room and left her laying there. I thought she was dead. I thought I had failed in my duty, my job… I …"

Tears fell down Tony's face. He put his head in his hands, shaking. Gibbs walked over and sat on the bed, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder and said nothing.

"When I first became a cop there was a case, one of my very first, that involved a seventeen or eighteen year old girl. She was kidnapped, raped, beaten, and dumped into the Chesapeake Bay. It was around the beginning of March, one of those years where we actually had really cold weather. Someone saw her swimming slowly out in the middle and picked her up, calling us. When we got there, they had just made it back to shore with her…and…she died. Right in front of us, laying in the boat, she just died."

Gibbs squeezed Tony's shoulder gently.

"There were so many times I thought Leah would die in front of me. I begged them to not hurt her anymore, to take me instead. I begged Leah to not give up, to keep fighting for her life. And now… what if she gives up? What if… like that girl from so long ago… she gives up right as she is saved?" Tony looked at Gibbs. "I couldn't look her parents in the eye, knowing I watched their only daughter get hurt. I… I couldn't…I just had to watch….I couldn't…."

Gibbs sat looking at Tony. He watched his senior field agent, the confident one, the class clown, the cocky one, break down in tears. He gently pushed Tony into a laying position and watched him give into exhaustion and fall asleep, tears still on his face. Gibbs moved to the chair next to the bed and looked out the window at the people coming and going – thinking.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

A few rooms over Leah's eyes fluttered open. She looked sideways and into the face of a young, grinning boy.

"Hi," whispered Leah.

"Hi," whispered Trent.


	27. Chapter 27: Tis the Business

**Chapter 27: Tis the Business**

The next few days passed as a blur. Leah's awakening occupied her whole family's attention and brightened the overall mood of the group. There were several uncomfortable days as Gibbs had to ask Leah to re-account her experiences and what had been done to her. IT took several days as Leah was still in bad enough condition that she could only manage to stay awake for a few hours at a time. Leah spent a large majority of her time awake talking with a psychologist to deal with the trauma, but she surprised everyone with her overall attitude and her acceptance with her situation. Leah talked often with Gibbs about Tony and Tim's help and repeatedly thanked him for rescuing her.

Late one afternoon Jacob entered Leah's room alone. He looked down at his daughter and shook his head. "He still won't Leah."

"Why not?"

"He's feeling guilty."

"Still? But why? It's not his fault, nothing was his fault!"

Jacob sat on the edge of the bed. "We can't change how he feels sweetheart. We can only be understanding and patient."

Leah said nothing for a moment, then looked up at her dad.

"Will you still take me tonight?"

"I said I would didn't I dearest daughter?"

Leah smiled at his gentle teasing. "That you did dearest father."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Tony sat staring out his window into the night. The moon lit up the night with startling clarity. He watched the day's visitors leave and wondered if he would be able to sleep that night without help. His insomnia had led to sleep medication prescribed by his doctor.

The door opened. Tony turned, expecting a nurse or something and sat up in surprise. Jacob entered carefully wheeling Leah in. Tony hadn't seen her since before they were rescued, almost a full week. Jacob parked Leah next to Tony's bed in the light of the moon. He turned on a small lamp then looked at Leah.

"I'll be back in an hour."

"Okay. Thanks Dad." Jacob left. Leah turned her gaze to Tony and they stared at one another for a moment.

"Leah…"

"I thought you might want some company Tony. I know the rest of your team is occupied with some major new case and you can't leave bed. So I came to you."

"Leah, I…"

Leah continued speaking as she hadn't heard Tony's soft whispers. "Besides," she said matter-of-factly, "I haven't seen you since before we were rescued. I wanted to talk to you now that we aren't in any threat of excessive pain and death." She paused and looked thoughtful. "Well I guess I'm in danger of pain, but only if I try to stand up again before I'm ready and have to be caught by my brother. That did hurt."

"Leah, are you…"

"So we can talk now." She pierced Tony with a look that would rival Gibbs. "Unless you insist on avoiding me and my family still."

Tony sputtered a bit then fell silent. He turned his face towards the window and didn't respond.

"Tony, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Sure, nothing. Don't lie to me. What's wrong?"

Tony searched for an excuse, anything to appease her probing. "I'm…just….tired. I haven't been sleeping well…and…I'm worried about my leg….and…stuff."

Leah raised an eyebrow, still looking at him with her piercing blue eyes. "Stuff?"

"Yeah."

"That's what's wrong. Your leg hurts, and _stuff_?"

Her tone caught Tony off guard and caused some anger to rise. "Yeah, stuff, you got a problem with that?"

"I do actually. And so does your team and my family, but they are all just too nice to say anything."

Tony faced Leah, angry. "Well if they have a problem with my attitude then they should just stop talking to me. I've got my own issues to worry about."

"You sound like a kid having a temper tantrum."

Tony scoffed, "I can't believe I'm being lectured by an eighteen year old girl."

"I can't believe you are acting like a bitter teenager," Leah retorted.

Something in Tony popped. "And how am I supposed to act, huh? I'm tired, broken, battered, and stuck in this bed." Tony forgot Leah was there and just vented. "I've been tortured, abused, and had to watch one of my best friends and an innocent girl beaten nearly to death. I had to listen to them scream for hours on end. I had to sit helpless and watch McGee bleed on the floor. I though he was dead! I thought I was going to die, and countless times I thought-" He stopped abruptly.

"That I was dead?" asked Leah softly.

"Yeah," said Tony quietly. "I thought countless times that I was going to have to tell yet another family their daughter wasn't coming home, if I even managed to survive."

Leah sat quietly looking at Tony. Her gaze softened and she placed her free hand on Tony's leg. Tony looked up at her discolored face and at the casting and bindings around her shoulders, neck, and arm, then started crying. Leah patted his leg carefully as Tony sobbed into his hands.

"What if I'm not cut out for this? How can I continue to watch people's lives get destroyed? How can I live knowing I got off so much easier than you and McGee? I can I face your family, his family? How can I tell people time and time again their friends and families are never coming home?"

Leah reached carefully over and grasped Tony's hand. She pulled it away from his face and looked him in the eye. "Tony, do you remember that quote I told you back in that house?"

"The Washington one?"

"Martha Washington technically. Well I've got another one for you. It's from Thomas Paine. 'I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.' He said that, so I'm told, to soldiers in George Washington's army when they were trapped in camp in the dead of winter, out of supplies, and losing the war." Leah released Tony's hand and sat back in the wheelchair, wincing slightly. "I can't control your feelings Tony, but you have to let go of the guilt you are feeling. I. Do. Not. Blame. You. My family doesn't blame you either, and I'm doubt McGee will blame you when he wakes up."

"If he wakes up."

"No, _when_. If you decide you can't do your job anymore, that you can't live in this world anymore, that is your choice. I cannot physically stop you."

Tony looked down at his own hands, still wet from his tears.

"However, to allow this experience to ruin your life, and perhaps end it, is a shallow, selfish, and absurd thing to do. I'm hurt, Tim is hurt, we are all hurt, physically, mentally, and emotionally."

"I may not ever walk normally again. This may cause me to lose my job."

"I would gladly give up my entire arm to save my life," Leah said softly.

Tony looked at Leah in surprise.

"I'm choosing to live Tony. I refuse to let the actions of a madman ruin my life and my family's lives, because if I was considering what you are considering, I would be hurting them a lot more than I am hurting right now. I cannot do that. I love my family too much to do that too them. I hope you care about your team enough to choose to live, because they are your family. Your death would leave an aching hole in their lives that cannot be filled by anyone but you, whether you will walk again or not."

A knock sounded on the door and Jacob walked in. "Time to go back Leah."

Leah sighed. "Okay." Tony noticed for the first time how tired and pale she looked.

As Jacob wheeled her out he looked over at Tony and smiled. "Tomorrow's a new day Agent DiNozzo. Treat it as such, leaving the past behind and allowing hope for the future. After all 'today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.'"

Tony watched them leave, turning out the lights as they left. Tony looked outside and noticed the lighting had changed. A light snow was falling, making the whole world seem to glow in a soft bluish light. Leah's words seemed to be blowing and rattling throughout his head like a blizzard, bumping and conflicting with the thoughts he had been having the past week. _Is she right? Is this salvageable? Can I continue on with the same job? Can I move past this?_

An image of Ziva entered his thoughts and seemed to appear on the glass window he was looking out. Gibbs, Ducky, Abby, and even Palmer all followed her in. He saw looks of worry, care, and concern, looks he had been ignoring for days. Tim appeared, battered and bruised. He looked worried, but then smiled at Tony and disappeared with the rest. _Could I really cause that kind of pain on them? Am I hurting them more? Am I killing myself over nothing?_


	28. Chapter 28: Christmas Eve

**Chapter 28: Christmas Eve**

Gibbs walked towards Tony's room. He was intent on confronting Tony about his attitude the last few days and his refusal to talk to a shrink. Gibbs suspected there was something seriously wrong and that it was time to take care of it. As he neared he heard a voice calling him. Around the corner John appeared and ran to Gibbs.

"Agent Gibbs, come quickly!"

"What, what is it?" asked Gibbs worried.

"We have a plan. A good plan, but we need your help right now!"

John dragged Gibbs past Tony's room to Leah's. He walked in and stopped in surprise. All of Leah's family was there and they had their arms full. Leah sat in a wheelchair and looked at Gibbs.

"We have a surprise for Tony, but everyone's arms are full. Will you push me?"

Gibbs smiled and completely dismissed his original plan.

"Of course. Let's go."

_10 minutes later…_

It was crowded and noisy in Tony's room. The armfuls of holiday paraphernalia were now spread all over, turning the stark white hospital room into an explosion of reds and greens. Tony watched Trent and Tyson argue over who got to put the star on the small Christmas tree that was actually real. John, who was placing presents beneath it, stopped to break up the argument. Abby, Palmer, Ducky, and Ziva all walked in carrying small presents of their own. A small menorah was placed on the side table.

"Even though Hanukkah is over we can still celebrate right?" Trent asked Ziva in a serious tone.

Ziva laughed. "Of course we can."

Tony laughed along and caught Leah's eye. She smiled knowingly and continued arranging the bow on a present that had gotten ripped. Tony smiled back and continued to laugh, feeling the day brighten.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

A few days later it was Christmas Eve. Tony was carefully loaded into a wheelchair and, pushed by Abby, he participated in caroling around the hospital with the team and Leah's family. Vance and Skyler, who had come to visit again, joined the chorus. The team was surprised to learn the entire Wyattson family were singers and were happy to add their voices. Leah was well enough to walk on her own, though her older brothers were taking turns shadowing her steps, just in case.

After an hour, the group made a special stop in the children's ward in the large playroom. Most of the kids still in the hospital were terminally ill and were excited to see a large group of people enter carrying small gifts, candy, and smiles. The entire group split up, taking pictures, giving gifts, and spreading the holiday cheer. Tony sat next to a small boy who had leukemia and watched Trent read to him. He saw Ziva speaking quietly to a small Israeli boy in Hebrew and giving him a small bag of treats. He watched Gibbs give a pink toy pony to a little girl in a wheelchair and give her a quick kiss on the head. He laughed as Palmer and Luke were buried by a small mob of six or seven year olds who all needed transplants of some sort. Abby gave a final hug to a five year old with a serious heart condition and now a new teddy bear and walked over to Tony. She sat down next to him with a happy sigh.

"I think I've given more hugs here than ever in my life."

Tony chuckled. "I kind of doubt that Abbs."

"No I'm serious. These kids are all so loving and happy. A little five year old boy said he was collecting as many hugs as he could before he died so that he could give them out to the angels in heaven."

Tony said nothing and watched a little boy with a walker sign Leah's cast. Abby tapped Tony on the arm. "Did you know they do this every year?"

"Really? How long have they been doing this?"

"This is their tenth year I think."

"Why?"

"Trent told me he used to have another older sister named Jenna." Abby paused and took a shaky breath. "She was born between John and the younger twins, but she was born with a hole in her heart. They fixed it when she was a baby, but she got really sick when she was three and they found she had a serious heart condition. She spent two years here, here nearly every day, and died when she was five. Leanne was pregnant with the twins when she died."

The two looked around. There were so many people in the room who had lost family; the Wyattson's, Gibbs, Ziva. The room was full of children who might not live past their tenth birthday.

Suddenly the family was all gathered at one end of the room. Leanne sat behind a beat up old baby grand piano and started up Christmas songs. The group burst into song, clear and united. All the little kids that could ran to the large rug in front of them and sat down. Some started singing joyfully along. Ziva and Gibbs helped several kids into chairs nearby so they could participate then joined the rest of the team at the back of the room. They all sat and listened to all the typical Christmas songs from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to Silent Night.

Luke moved between the kids and picked up the small Israeli boy and carried him to the front. They started singing a popular Hanukkah song, encouraging the boy to sing to. He shyly smiled then spotted Ziva at the back of the room. He grinned and called to Ziva, asking her to sing along. Ziva flushed and was pushed towards the front by Abby. She walked through the swarms of children and at the urging of the boy she started singing along. Tony looked behind him and saw a crowd gathered, listening. Gibbs caught his eye and bent down next to him. "You okay DiNozzo?"

Tony looked around, contemplating the question. Leah's quote popped into his head, with her voice_. 'I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.'_ He looked up at Gibbs. "Not completely, but I will be."

Gibbs nodded and grasped his shoulder tightly. "You did you duty Tony. You brought Leah home, you did your job."

Tony smiled crookedly. "Took a teenage girl scolding me to realize it."

Gibbs chuckled and released his shoulder. "You've gone through worse. _We've_ gone through worse. Not much worse but worse. We can make it through this."

"You got that right Boss," said Tony. "We can."

A nurse approached Ducky, who was standing right behind Tony, and tapped him on the shoulder. She whispered in his ear for a moment. Ducky smiled broadly and nodded his thanks. He moved to the middle of the group and got everyone's attention.

"Timothy has awakened," he said happily.

Abby squealed and ran out of the room. Ducky announced it again to the Wyattson family and they all cheered and started picking their way through the kids to follow. Luke stopped and grabbed Tony, wheeling him out the door. Within moments everyone was gathered around Tim's bed, happily welcoming the final member of the team, of the family, back into the waking world.

**The End**

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

End Note: _Whew_, finally finished my very first real story. Thank you to everyone for being patient with me and for reading. It didn't turn out at all like I planned or expected, but that's how it goes with stories sometimes. They take you in directions you weren't expecting.


End file.
